Eben Etzebeth let his stoic guard down as he grinned after celebrating his 100th Test for the Springboks with a series victory over Wales on his old stomping ground in Cape Town on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
Appearing alongside former Stormers teammate Bongi Mbonambi, who made his 50th Test appearance, Etzebeth wore a big smile on his face when asked in the post-match press conference to sum up the day.
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“Special,” the big lock said after the Boks beat Wales 30-14 in the third Test at a capacity Cape Town Stadium.
When the time came for Etzebeth to make his way onto the field, a giant ‘Eben 100’ wick had been rolled out and was set alight as fireworks went off when he jogged onto the pitch. He was soon joined by Mbonambi and two embraced before the rest of the team came out for the national anthems.
To add to the occasion, Etzebeth’s fiancé Anila van Rensburg sang the South African national anthem before the Test got underway.
“Having my family here, my dad in the stands, my fiancé singing the national anthem. It was very special,” Etzebeth said. “But you could take all of that away and give us the win and it would make me happy.
“Also, Bongi playing his 50th Test match… You know how I feel about him and I’ve told him before. He’s a warrior. It was special for me to celebrate this day with him.”
In keeping with his selfless character, Etzebeth then shifted the focus back onto the team: “The main goal was to get the series win. We approached this whole week as a final. We are probably going to have another few finals in the upcoming year and next year.
“We have played in finals before so we know what it takes. Everyone stuck up their hands tonight and were really great. It was a special day for all of us.”
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In front of more than 50 000 spectators, the towering lock marked the milestone with several big carries, smashing tackles and even one or two outside line-breaks, before he was replaced by Franco Mostert on the hour mark.
“I would have wanted to go for the full 80. To be honest, I was actually sick on Friday,” Etzebeth admitted. “I think the coaches saw that I was a bit tired. I struggled with my chest and was struggling for breath. I think the 60 minutes went really well.
“When you have someone like Franco Mostert on the bench, that man doesn’t stop working. He’s a great player and always brings 100%. So you know when you go off and ‘Sous’ comes on, you know he’s going to go harder.”
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It was also a memorable day for Mbonambi, who scored a crucial try just before half time to give the hosts a nine-point lead at the break.
The experienced hooker came close to calling it quits in 2018, after struggling to recover from a burst appendix and damaged bladder.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey. It never is, to be a Springbok,” he said. “You just take it day by day. It took me longer to get here, but I am very honoured and humbled with the experience.
“As Eben said, it has been a special day. We’ve played it very low this whole week. We never made it about us. The Springboks always have a plan and we just stuck to that. It has really been an amazing journey. To have my family and wife here makes it even more special and getting the win is a bonus as well.”
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Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Image
