They’re calling it a South African rugby invention - the flenter. A hybrid between a flank and a centre. At first, it felt like just another Rassie Erasmus quirk, a tactical oddity to spark social media banter. But under the Stade de France lights this past weekend, the value of the experiment was underlined in bold.
The man at the heart of it is André Esterhuizen. If not for the presence of Damian de Allende in the same Springbok squad, Esterhuizen might already be recognised as one of the best inside centres in the international game. He has the ball skills and explosiveness to go with the strength and height that make him lethal as a ball-carrying midfielder - the kind who ensures his team crosses the gainline.
His transition began quietly, back in late June during the non-international against the Barbarians in Cape Town. Since then, Esterhuizen’s appearances as a hybrid player have grown more frequent. Against Japan at Wembley, he dotted down from a driving maul, a try chalked off by the TMO, before scoring another that stood.
By the time the Boks faced France, Esterhuizen had become so involved as a flank that it was impossible to make him out under the mass of bodies when he scored the driving maul try that gave South Africa the lead in the 65th minute.
“He really has adapted well to the requirements of a flanker,” said former Bok coach Nick Mallett. “He gets his body in the right low position and appears to revel in the physical work that is necessary for a loose-forward, and he is incredibly strong.”
But Paris demanded more than just versatility. When Lood de Jager was red-carded, Esterhuizen came on at the start of the second half - not just to cover two positions from the bench, but to be both a flanker and a centre, depending on where play was unfolding and whether the Boks were attacking or defending.
He popped up in the midfield during a key attack later in the game, after his forward try. His ability to dovetail between roles was a big part of why the Boks dominated a very good French team with only 14 players on the field.
“We speak about it (which position I will fill) before the game quite a bit, but today the plans changed a bit,” Esterhuizen said afterwards. “Normally I know more or less beforehand whether I am going to be a loose-forward or a centre. But you can never know what is going to happen that might change the plan, and today that did happen. We have to prepare for both situations.”
Was he more centre than flank in Paris? That’s a question for Erasmus. What’s certain is that adaptability is key - and Esterhuizen is clearly ready for any scenario.
Of course, Esterhuizen is a freak as a centre, with physical attributes perfectly suited to a loose-forward role. His teammate, prop Wilco Louw, described him as “a monster”, while flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu summed it up: “He weighs 115 kilograms and is well over six foot in height. You don’t even know (as a teammate) if it is a 5/3 or 6/2 split between forwards and backs, that’s how good he is.”
The next step? Perhaps a start as a flank. With the Boks’ depth in that position, it might seem unnecessary, but you never know with Rassie. He can claim to be the mastermind behind the masterstroke that ensured the Boks didn’t panic when they were one point down and one man down at halftime in Paris.
“When all the cards were down, after the red card, the boys made good plans. We spoke at halftime, said what we want to do,” said Esterhuizen.
Whatever was said, whatever plans were made, it worked.