Esterhuizen: Time in UK and Sharks captaincy have shaped the leader I am

Playing rugby in England for four seasons as well as stepping into the role of captain amid a trying time at the Sharks last year have shaped André Esterhuizen to become South Africa’s 68th Test captain, he said on Saturday.

The Springbok centre/flanker will receive the honour in a one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday (kick-off 11:45am).

This after Siya Kolisi, Jesse Kriel and Pieter-Steph du Toit were rested for the game, though Eben Etzebeth and Handré Pollard, who have led the side in the past, will be playing.

Esterhuizen was speaking in an online press conference on Saturday morning, where an SA Rugby media liaison repeatedly blocked questions about a racial slur Esterhuizen had allegedly made 14 years ago, which he had been suspended for but had resurfaced ahead of becoming Springbok captain.

From success to struggles

Esterhuizen left the club of his youth, the Sharks, to join the Harlequins from 2020 to 2024, winning the Gallagher Premiership title in 2020/21 and the RPA Players’ Player of the Year, Harlequins Players’ Player of the Year and DHL Fans’ Player of the Season, all in 2022.

He returned to the Sharks to battle out a tough season under John Plumtree, before JP Pietersen took over as coach mid-season last year and made Esterhuizen the captain over Kolisi.

The Sharks rallied under their new leadership but still narrowly missed out on play-off qualification in the United Rugby Championship, finishing 10th with just eight wins out of 18 games.

They also crashed out of the Champions Cup in the group stage and the second-tier Challenge Cup in the round of 16. They didn’t win a single game in Europe all season.

“When I left for the UK I was fairly experienced, though not too old, and I came back with a lot of experience having played in different conditions and with different teammates and [opposition] in the UK,” Esterhuizen said.

“Coming back to the Sharks and stepping into a leadership role, trying to turn things around there, has shaped me in a way I couldn’t expect.”

Esterhuizen learns from Kolisi

He said it was a “massive honour and privilege” to lead the side, something he never thought would happen.

“I’m going out with the captaincy role but it’s still all about the team. There are so many leaders in the team who help each other.

“Ultimately it’s what we all do on the field. Whether I’m talking, Eben’s talking, or Sous [Franco Mostert] is talking… Ultimately, we are all together a team.”

He said leading his franchise helped prepare him for the Springbok captaincy. But having such a big leadership group in the national setup made it “much easier” than at the Sharks.

Esterhuizen said he learned much from Kolisi’s captaincy of the Springboks and time at the Sharks.

“Siya Kolisi has been a tremendous leader… To always see him composed and calm, it doesn’t matter what the situation is, and relying on the guys around him as well.

“He knows when to step back and when to step up. That’s something I’ve taken from him.”