Having first impressed for Namibia at the U13 Craven Week of 2013, Ethan Thiart enrolled at one of South Africa’s renowned schools, Maritzburg College. He excelled there, representing the school’s U14A and U15A teams, before returning home in 2016. Ethan immediately earned selection for Namibia at the U16 Grant Khomo Week, before playing a further part in the U18 Academy Week two years later. In the colours of Windhoek Gymnasium, Thiart was a standout performer in various schoolboy rugby festivals, catching the eye of the Blue Bulls, who summarily signed Ethan for the 2020 season.

The Namibian was however unable to move to Pretoria due to the outbreak of Covid-19, but the mobile tighthead’s ability to completely dominate the collision makes him an asset to any squad. His strength at the set piece is a sight to behold, as is his superb defensive work rate and willingness to look for work. With the pedigree of turning out for his country at every age-group level and a refreshing instinct of when to offload to a teammate in space, Ethan Thiart is set to take the professional game by storm.