SPOTLIGHT: Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen turned 30 earlier this year, but he only has 18 Test caps to his name.
An abrasive midfielder with a knack for getting his side over the gain line, Esterhuizen fits the mould for the type of player the Boks want in the No.12 jersey.
However, opportunities have been few and far between with Damian de Allende nailing down the jersey over the years.
Some would say Esterhuizen could have had more Tests to his name if he represented another country like others have done in the past, but it was something he couldn’t imagine himself doing.
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“South Africa has such a lot of depth and great rugby players and I’d much rather have my 18 caps for the Springboks than 70 caps for a different country that I’m not actually born in,” Esterhuizen told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Test match against Scotland at Murrayfield.
“A lot of people have different views on that.
“I’m proudly South African and I love this country and this team, so I am very content with where I’m at.
“I am always striving to be better and to play more.
“Damian [de Allende] is there, Lukhanyo [Am] is there. There are so many players that can play No.12 and they can play a great game in that position.
“It’s also very helpful for the squad. The competition between each other will drive us to get better.”
Esterhuizen acknowledged that his discipline on the field over the years could have been better.
“I would’ve loved to play more. There are certain factors that didn’t help me through the years and some of that was brought on by myself.
“However, I’ve worked a lot harder on my discipline over the years and I am getting better at that.”
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Esterhuizen will always be compared to De Allende when comes to playing styles and he believes there is not much difference.
“I think we are pretty similar, to be honest.
“I think there is just probably a bit of difference in our weight,” Esterhuizen added with a smile.
“Thinking about it right now I don’t think there is too much of a difference – we are very similar in our style of play.”
@rugby365com
