After a few seasons in the doldrums, Harlequins are now well and truly back to their best in the Gallagher Premiership with the help of some notable big impact players.
A lot of the focus has naturally been on England fly-half Marcus Smith but one player who has been equally as important to Quins is South African centre André Esterhuizen.
Arriving to London in 2020, Esterhuizen has quickly become a fan favourite for his bulldozing runs and thumping hits in defence. He’s only had eight caps for his country, but with performances like he has put in over the last two seasons it would hardly be a surprise to see him in the green jersey once more.
Last weekend he was on more fine form, scoring a try in his side’s nervy, last-gasp 14-12 victory over Exeter.
Esterhuizen’s is not just a hard hitter though, he also reads the game very well too. The modern day centre is in something of a transition from crash ball option to a serious line breaker.
At 6ft4 and 17st, Esterhuizen is certainly a unit and probably a fly-half’s worst nightmare – or close to. But there is a lot more to his game than sheer brute strength.
TASanalytics has put together a great compilation video of how destructive Esterhuizen can be during the game, but also his more subtle touches such as support lines, getting back onto his feet quickly for the next phase and neat offloads.
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