Eben Etzebeth is 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) tall and weighs around 119 kg (about 18 st 10 lb), according to his Rugby World Cup profile, and his arms are among the most talked-about in rugby. What nobody has ever published is a reliable measurement of his biceps. Below is what is actually known about the Springbok lock's size and strength, and an arm workout inspired by him.

Who is Eben Etzebeth?

Eben Etzebeth is a South African lock (usually wearing number 4) born in Cape Town on 29 October 1991. He made his Springbok debut against England in Durban on 9 June 2012, aged 20, and has been a fixture in the second row ever since.

His career at a glance, as of early October 2026:

FactDetail
PositionLock
Born29 October 1991, Cape Town
Height2.04 m (6 ft 8 in)
WeightAbout 119 kg (18 st 10 lb, 262 lb)
Springbok debut9 June 2012, v England
Test caps147 (to the end of September 2026)
ClubsStormers, Toulon, Sharks
Major honoursRugby World Cup winner 2019 and 2023; series win over the British and Irish Lions, 2021

In September 2024, against Argentina in Mbombela, he won his 128th cap and passed Victor Matfield's record of 127 to become the most-capped Springbok of all time. He has kept adding to it since, and was nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year in 2024.

Eben Etzebeth's height and weight

Etzebeth is listed at 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) and 119 kg, the figures on his official Rugby World Cup 2023 profile. You'll see slightly different numbers elsewhere, often 2.03 m and anything from 117 to 120 kg, because player weights move through a season and different teams publish different figures.

For context, he is tall even for a modern Test lock. Locks win lineouts and do much of the pushing in the scrum, so the position rewards height and mass, but very few players carry that size and still move the way he does around the field.

The guy's an animal. South Africans just seem to be the perfect build for sports like rugby and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

How big are Eben Etzebeth's biceps?

The honest answer: nobody knows for certain. Etzebeth's arm circumference has never been officially measured and published, and teams don't release that kind of data.

Here's what we do know:

  • His frame is enormous. At 2.04 m and around 119 kg, carrying a lot of muscle, his arms are naturally long and thick. Photos make that obvious.
  • His job builds upper-body strength. Locks lift in the lineout, bind and push in every scrum, clear out rucks and make a lot of tackles. Years of that, plus gym work, build big arms, shoulders and backs.
  • Online numbers aren't sourced. Figures of 19 inches or more circulate on fan sites and social media, but none that we could find trace back to a measurement.

So if you see a precise number for Etzebeth's biceps, treat it as a guess.

How much does Eben Etzebeth bench press?

Again, there's no official figure. A widely repeated claim, from a 2018 fitness-site list of rugby's biggest players, says he could bench press around 175 kg (385 lb) and press 79 kg (175 lb) dumbbells on an incline. We couldn't find it confirmed by Etzebeth or any of his teams, so treat it as a reported number rather than a fact.

What is clear is that professional forwards train for strength and power rather than for one-rep gym records. Most of their pressing work sits alongside heavy lower-body lifts, pulling work, sprinting and conditioning. Our guide to the top three strength exercises for rugby covers the lifts that matter most.

An arm workout inspired by Etzebeth

We don't know Etzebeth's exact programme, so this isn't it. It's a simple, effective arm session that works well alongside a normal rugby gym plan. Do it once or twice a week, after your main lifts or on a separate day.

1. Standing barbell curl: 4 sets of 6 to 8, 90 seconds' rest

The classic biceps builder. Use a weight you can control for every rep, with your elbows by your sides and no swinging. You'll feel it in your forearms too, which helps your grip.

2. Incline dumbbell curl: 4 sets of 10, 60 seconds' rest

Set a bench to about 45 degrees and let your arms hang straight down. Starting from a stretched position makes the biceps work hard through the full range.

3. Hammer curl: 4 sets of 10, 60 seconds' rest

Curl with your palms facing each other. This hits the brachialis and brachioradialis, the muscles that add thickness to the arm and strength to your forearms. Keep it strict: no cheat reps.

4. Concentration curl: 4 sets of 8 to 10 per arm, 60 seconds' rest

Sit down, brace your elbow against the inside of your thigh and curl with a slow lowering phase. Squeeze hard at the top.

Don't forget the triceps

The triceps make up more of your upper arm than the biceps, so if you want bigger arms, train them too. Add close-grip bench press (3 sets of 6 to 8) and overhead cable or dumbbell triceps extensions (3 sets of 10 to 12). Close-grip pressing also carries over well to fending and pushing in contact.

For a full plan around this, see our rugby training guide, and for the grip that helps you hold on in contact, our grip strength guide.

Eating to build size

No arm workout makes you bigger without enough food. Players trying to add muscle generally need a small calorie surplus and plenty of protein: a 2018 meta-analysis (Morton and colleagues, British Journal of Sports Medicine) found that gains in muscle mass from resistance training levelled off at around 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day. Spreading that across meals and snacks makes it easier to hit, and ParrotPal's list of high-protein snacks has plenty of options between meals.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is Eben Etzebeth?

Eben Etzebeth is 2.04 m, or about 6 ft 8 in, according to his Rugby World Cup 2023 profile. Some sources list him at 2.03 m.

How much does Eben Etzebeth weigh?

He is listed at around 119 kg (about 18 st 10 lb, or 262 lb). Published figures range from about 117 to 120 kg, as playing weight changes through a season.

How big are Eben Etzebeth's biceps?

There is no official or reliable measurement. Numbers of 19 inches or more appear online, but none that we could find are sourced to an actual measurement.

How many caps does Eben Etzebeth have?

147 Test caps for South Africa by the end of September 2026. He became the most-capped Springbok in September 2024, when his 128th cap took him past Victor Matfield's record of 127.

Which club does Eben Etzebeth play for?

The Sharks, in Durban. He previously played for the Stormers and for Toulon in France.

Sources