Latest Eben Etzebeth update issued as Sharks boss ‘scared’ and ‘nervous’ following long concussion battle

The Sharks have pencilled in a return date for Eben Etzebeth as they hope that his long battle with concussion is about to end.

Etzebeth has been absent since December after he sustained a head injury in the Champions Cup victory over Exeter Chiefs.

The Springboks star has since been battling concussion with his return being regularly delayed due to the symptoms returning.

Having not yet featured in 2025, there were even concerns that it could turn into a career-threatening problem, but Sharks head coach John Plumtree is hopeful that he will be back on the pitch relatively soon.

Etzebeth’s likely comeback games

In fact, it could even be next week, according to Plumtree, who is looking to play him off the bench against Zebre Parma on March 22 before starting him a week later versus Leinster.

However, he is reluctant to say it with too much confidence given the setbacks the South Africa lock has endured over recent months.

“I am too scared to tell you anything positive about Eben as every time I have done that before and raised my hopes we have ended up going backwards again,” Plumtree told reporters.

“But he is training with us and is looking really good. He trained well this week. We have the bye this week, but hopefully he will play for us at the end of the month.

“As I say, I am nervous about going for any positive timelines but right now it is looking very good.”

Rassie Erasmus addresses Eben Etzebeth’s future after talks with ‘concussion guru’

Plumtree’s words came after Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus gave an update on Etzebeth, firstly detailing his chat with a concussion expert about the stage the second-row needs to get to.

Erasmus’ verdict

“I actually drove through to Stellenbosch the other day to meet with Dr Pierre Viviers, the concussion guru, to just get a proper catchup so I could also understand the concussion setup again,” Erasmus said.

“When a guy is totally concussion-free, he starts from a clean sheet again… and that’s what we always want.

“So, if a guy gets a normal concussion in a game and he fails the HIA protocols, then we will never bring a guy back too early.

“Eben must just get to that stage now where they say he is concussion-free.”

Erasmus remained confident that Etzebeth would be featuring for the Boks this year, though, despite the health issues he’s endured at the start of 2025.

“He doesn’t have any symptoms, he went through all the processes… and, according to what I’ve heard, he will be one of the players that will be available,” the national team head coach added.

“He is not yet ready to play but I think he’s getting very close to getting ready to play. He just wants that clean sheet of being concussion-free. Then it’s back to normal again.”

READ MORE: Springboks star Eben Etzebeth gives update on likely return after ‘very serious’ injury