How André the Giant became a ‘flentre’
André Esterhuizen has lifted the lid on how his remarkable shift from powerhouse centre to hybrid flank was born, and why the Springboks had nothing to lose by trying it.
“When he told me what his plan was, I wasn’t even completely surprised,” Esterhuizen told Netwerk24, referencing his long-standing relationship with head coach Erasmus.
“I said I’d give it a go. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t work, then so be it.”
MORE: Hybrid hero helps Sharks bite back
The idea was unveiled publicly in June against the Barbarians in Cape Town, when Esterhuizen suddenly found himself packing down on the flank.
“Nobody outside the team knew about it,” he said. “We didn’t really want to say too much because we didn’t know if it would work.”
At 1.93m and 116kg, Esterhuizen’s physical profile immediately fuelled excitement, and while his hybrid role continued through the Rugby Championship, it was still viewed internally as a work in progress.
That changed on the end-of-year tour.
“We still thought it was in a trial phase,” Esterhuizen explained. “But against Japan it started to feel better because I trained more with the forwards.”
MALLETT: Andre the Giant now the complete player
He marked that Test with his first try as a forward – part of a five-try season that followed six previous years without a single Test try.
The ultimate proof came in Paris.
“With the France game, we were kind of forced,” he said after Lood de Jager’s red card. “And then it worked. That’s when we realised: OK, we’re onto something.”