When Eben Etzebeth leads the Springboks out at Cape Town Stadium for the third Test against Wales on Saturday, he will join an elite list of South Africans to have played 100-Test matches. In appreciation of his excellence, we’ve compiled a list of each of the nation’s eight centurions.
Percy Montgomery
School: The South African College Schools (SACS)
Debut: v British & Irish Lions in Durban, 1997
Total Tests: 102
Major teams: Western Province; Stormers; Boks; Dragons; Perpignan; Sharks; Barbarians
Major honours: Currie Cup (1997, 2000, 2001); Tri-Nations (1998, 2004); World Cup (2007)
Monty was the first Springbok to earn 100-Tests when he ran out against the All Blacks at Newlands in 2008; a game the hosts would lose 19-0. During his 13-year long pro career, Montgomery turned out for a number of great teams, most notably the 2007 World Cup-winning side, for whom he scored 12-points in the 15-6 Grand Final defeat of England. He is still the country’s all-time leading points scorer with 893.
John Smit
School: Pretoria Boys’
Debut: v Canada in East London, 2000
Total Tests: 111
Major teams: Sharks; Boks; Barbarians; Clermont Auvergne; Saracens
Major honours: Tri-Nations (2004, 2009); World Cup (2007); Currie Cup (2008); Lions series (2009)
Smit captained arguably the finest Bok team of the modern age between 2007 and 2009, winning a World Cup, Lions series and Tri-Nations in that period. The versatile front-ranker earned his 100th in a last-gasp 22-29 defeat against the All Blacks at Soccer City. Barney, as he is affectionately known, skippered South Africa in a jaw-dropping 83-Test matches.
Victor Matfield
School: Hoërskool Pietersburg
Debut: v Italy in Port Elizabeth, 2001
Total Tests: 127
Major teams: Griquas; Cats; Bulls; Boks; Barbarians; Toulon; Northampton Saints
Major honours: Currie Cup (2002, 2004, 2009); Super 14 (2007, 2009, 2010); Tri-Nations (2004, 2009); World Cup (2007); Lions series (2009)
Matfield was a titan for the Boks and Bulls during golden periods for both teams in the late 2000s; a period that saw the 21-cap SA skipper win all he could in the local and international game. Man of the Match in the 2007 World Cup final, he is still regarded as one of the greatest lineout exponents in the history of the game and remains the most-capped Springbok of them all.
Eben Etzebeth sure has come a long way since Craven Week. #Centurion pic.twitter.com/wWyZgSzwv8
— Saffas Abroad Rugby (@SaffasRugby) July 13, 2022
Bryan Habana
School: King Edward VII (KES)
Debut: v England at Twickenham, 2004
Total Tests: 124
Major teams: Lions; Bulls; Boks; Stormers; Western Province; Toulon; Barbarians
Major honours: Currie Cup (2009; 2012); Super 14 (2007; 2009); World Cup (2007); Lions series (2009); Tri-Nations (2009); Top 14 (2014); Heineken Champions Cup (2014; 2015)
South Africa’s record try-scorer with a staggering 67, Habana’s exploits at the 2007 World Cup earned him that year’s World Player of the Year award. After winning all he could with the Boks, Bulls and Stormers, he packed his bags for Toulon and proceeded not only to win the Top 14, but the Heineken Champions Cup – twice!
Jean de Villiers
School: Paarl Gimnasium
Debut: v France in Marseille, 2002
Total Tests: 109
Major teams: Western Province; Stormers; Boks; Munster; Leicester Tigers; Barbarians
Major honours: World Cup (2007); Lions series (2009); Tri-Nations (2009)
De Villiers is perhaps best remembered for his period in charge of Heyneke Meyer’s Boks from 2012 to 2015, during which he captained the side 37-times; the second most in history. Dubbed “The Intercept King”, the former Stormers man was twice named SA Player of the Year, in 2008 and 2013, and formed a formidable midfield partnership with the great Jaque Fourie for a large part of his career.
Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira
School: Peterhouse Boys’, Zimbabwe
Debut: v Wales in Pretoria, 2008
Total Tests: 117
Major teams: Sharks; Boks; Barbarians; Old Glory DC
Major honours: Currie Cup (2008, 2010); Lions series (2009); Tri-Nations (2009); Rugby Championship (2019); World Cup (2019)
The Beast was the cornerstone of the Bok and Sharks’ scrum for many moons before finally calling it a day after the World Cup triumph in Yokohama in 2019 and joining the MLR. The most-capped Sharks Super Rugby player of all time (159), Mtawarira’s scrum-down demolition of Phil Vickery during the first Test of the 2009 Lions series will always be remembered fondly by fans of the green and gold.
Eben Etzebeth
School: Hoërskool Tygerberg
Debut: v England in Durban, 2012
Total Tests: 99
Major teams: Western Province; Stormers; Boks; NTT DoCoMo; Toulon
Major honours: Currie Cup (2012); Rugby Championship (2019); World Cup (2019); Lions series (2021)
The latest Bok set to join the list, Etzebeth has been a mainstay in the side since debuting against the English in 2012. Having claimed a coveted Rugby Championship; World Cup and Lions series treble, his legacy with the national side is secure, but he’ll be holding nothing back as the lead-up to the Boks’ world title defence continues against Wales this weekend…
