Eben Etzebeth is set to become the seventh – and youngest – Springbok to win 100 Test caps when he returns to Cape Town for the series decider against Wales.
Even on the verge of playing another milestone match for his country, Etzebeth’s first appearance in the green and gold is etched into his mind.
The barnstorming lock enjoyed a rapid rise to the heights of Test rugby. Having been impressive in his first season with the Stormers in 2012 – a year after he helped UCT win the Varsity Cup – he made his Test debut against Stuart Lancaster’s England that year.
Nearly a decade later, he is able to recall the precise moment he was told he was going to be a Springbok.
“It was a good feeling. I was 20 and made my debut a day before my mom’s 50th birthday,” Etzebeth tells SA Rugby magazine. “We were talking about that in France the other day. It’s amazing how time flies.
“We had played the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld and I remember Allister Coetzee telling me and a few of my teammates – like Jean de Villiers and Bryan Habana – that we were in the Springbok squad. We got the win at Loftus that day and I got quite emotional. It was a dream come true. I still had to play the actual Test, but still, it was the first step, being in the squad.
“Your Test debut goes so quickly. I just wish it could happen all over again so I could enjoy every moment. It was amazing, but also a surreal experience.”
Etzebeth needs just one more Test appearance to become the newest member of the Springbok centurions, an elite group that includes Percy Montgomery, John Smit, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers and Tendai Mtawarira.
The fact that he is on track to be the youngest Springbok to reach the milestone is testimony to his seemingly indestructible body. Montgomery was 34 when he won his 100th cap against New Zealand in 2008, Matfield, Mtawarira and De Villiers were 33, Smit was 32 and Habana had already turned 31 by the time it was his turn to get the golden cap in 2014.
This follows Etzebeth having become the youngest South African player to reach 50 Test caps in 2016, at the age of 24.
“It is amazing just to be a part of everything. This will be something I never would have dreamt of. It is just an amazing situation to be in,” said Etzebeth. “It is difficult to put into words.”
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Photo: Christiaan KOTZE/AFP
