The moment Springboks fans have been waiting for is finally set to arrive as second-row enforcer Eben Etzebeth is set to surpass Victor Matfield as the most-capped South African player in history.
Etzebeth has been named to start in the final round of the 2024 Rugby Championship in Nelspruit where he will be celebrated as one of the greatest to wear the Green and Gold as the Springboks make the final push for the title.
With history beckoning we decided to take a look at the timeline of the special career of the world-renowned superstar that has been on the Test scene for the last 12 years.
Timeline
2012 – Rookie season
Etzebeth made his Test debut for the Springboks in the starting XV on the 9th of June in 2012 against England in Durban where the hosts claimed a hard-fought 22-17 win. At that stage, the 20-year-old second-row was relatively unknown having only made his bow for the Stormers just four months earlier and had yet to make an appearance in the Currie Cup.
Naturally, the rookie’s physicality and high-powered engine caught the eye of fans and most importantly Springbok head coach Heyneke Meyer who started Etzebeth in 11 of 12 Tests that year. It was already clear that the young Stormer had a bright future at the highest level.
2013 – Breakout
By now the South African public had already warmed up to Etzebeth who was seen by many as the successor to the robust legend Bakkies Botha in the second-row for the Springboks and his performances justified that.
Etzebeth had gone from strength to strength in his second Test season where he started every single match for his country and earned a nomination for the IRB (World Rugby) Player of the Year award alongside Leigh Halfpenny, Ben Smith, Kieran Read and Sergio Parisse.
The lock had well and truly announced himself having played in 23 of the last 24 Springboks Tests at that time.
‘Bakkies, he’s already the enforcer, we need to stand back here’ – Victor Matfield in heartfelt tribute
2014 – Year of growth
Etzebeth was a well-established Test player by this stage and his importance in the Springboks set-up would only grow as the side geared up for the Rugby World Cup in England a year later.
Meyer would use the towering lock in 10 of the 13 Tests the Springboks played that season, underlining how vital he was to the national side already.
2015 – First Rugby World Cup appearance
The developing second-row would continue to show improvements in his game as the whole Test circuit was beginning to learn of his constant physical presence. The Springboks’ new enforcer had well and truly announced himself to the world and earned selection for his first Rugby World Cup.
A written-off Springboks side, still coached by Meyer, Etzebeth would leave England with a bronze medal after a narrow defeat to the All Blacks in the semi-final courtesy of a stunning Dan Carter drop goal. He would also feature alongside Matfield in the Bok legend’s final appearance for his country as Meyer’s side defeated Argentina in the Bronze Final. Once again the great lock played every Test of the year (11/11).
2016 – Record breaker
With the Springboks now under the guidance ex-Stormers coach Allister Coetzee, the Cape Town-born second-rower would go on to earn his 50th cap for South Africa at the tender age of 24 – becoming the youngest player to reach the milestone for the Springboks. When he ran out for his 50th Test against Australia, Etzebeth had missed just five Tests for the Springboks since making his debut against England four years earlier.
Etzebeth was heavily relied on again playing 10 of 12 Tests in what was the beginning of a very challenging period for the Springboks under Coetzee.
2017 – Captain Fantastic
Unfortunately for the Springboks, the results would only worsen under Coetzee in his second season at the helm. While there was darkness around the state of the national side there was a silver lining for Etzebeth who became the 59th captain of South Africa when he skippered the side against France that year.
An injury to Warren Whiteley saw Etzebeth leading the team for the rest of the year where he yet again played every Test (13/13).
2018 – Transition year
Up until the end of 2017, the Springbok powerhouse had done well to avoid major injury but that finally caught up as he was sidelined for a lengthy period with a shoulder issue.
This resulted in the Test season with the least appearances for his country. Despite that Etzebeth still featured in more than half the games (8/14) as the Springboks underwent radical changes with Rassie Erasmus taking over the side in a move that would bear an abundance of fruit for the side.
2019 – Rugby World Cup winner
Erasmus had quickly identified the core of players that would be able to improve the team as quickly as possible with Etzebeth being right at the centre of that alongside his close friend Siya Kolisi who had been handed the captaincy in 2018.
The second-row was still a key leadership figure in the dressing room and would go on to inspire the Springboks to a remarkable double, first winning the Rugby Championship and then the World Cup win in Japan – a feat that seemed impossible when Erasmus first took over.
Etzebeth was hailed for his role in the memorable win that took the Springboks alongside the All Blacks with three World Cup wins, the most in history at that time.
2021 – Catching up and slaying Lions
The COVID-19 pandemic crippled the development of South African rugby with not a single Test played in 2020 making the incoming British & Irish Lions tour even more difficult as Erasmus handed over coaching reins to right-hand man Jacques Nienaber. The Test series was played behind closed doors where Etzebeth engaged in a thrilling rivalry with Englishman Maro Itoje.
The Springboks would eventually win the series in the decisive third game and the lock was once again used through the rest of the season playing 12 of 13 Tests, missing only the second match against Los Pumas.
‘Aggressive man mountain’ Eben Etzebeth hailed as ‘greatest of all Springboks’ by ex-teammate
2022 – Centurion
With the Springboks looking to fast-track their growth the veteran was central to the set-up as always and would go on to earn his 100th cap for South Africa doing so in front of his hometown crowd against Wales. Etzebeth was the seventh and youngest player to make 100 appearances in the famous Green and Gold.
Already then the superstar was being considered as one of the greatest Springboks in history. For the fourth time in nine playing seasons, Etzebeth played in every single South African Test that season (13/13) and was awarded South Africa’s Men’s Player of the Year.
2023 – Back-to-back
Erasmus, who was director of rugby and working closely with Nienaber, had claimed the year before that the 2019 World Cup win was not always part of the plan with their development targeting the 2023 edition in France. This showed in heaps as the Springboks were loaded with depth and experience heading into the tournament spearheaded by their 2.04m lock.
Etzebeth would go on to play a massive role in the competition scoring a crucial try against the hosts in the quarter-final victory over France before going on to become the second team in history to win back-to-back World Cups and the first to win four. The South African’s efforts would not fall on blind eyes as he was nominated for World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year while being named South Africa’s Men’s Player of the Year for the second year running. He became just the second player after Pieter-Steph du Toit to win back-to-back SA Men’s Player of the Year awards achieving that feat in a season where he played nine of 13 Tests.
All South Africa’s Player of the Year award winners for the past 32 years
2024 – Into rarified air
At this stage, Etzebeth had not only earned himself a place as one of the best in Springboks history but he was also regarded as one of the greatest in the game’s history. With Erasmus back in the hot seat there was a sense of inevitability that Etzebeth would reach and surpass the great Matfield’s all-time record.
Etzebeth has only missed the Test against Portugal this season and has dropped big performances against Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The playing legend now has the honour of running out against Argentina where he will earn his record 128th cap becoming the most capped Springbok there ever was. To make it even more romantic a win will mark the occasion with the Rugby Championship title.
Eben Etzebeth’s Springboks stats
Tests: 127
Tries: 6
Wins: 79
Losses: 43
Draws: 5
Since his debut, Etzebeth has only missed 19 Test matches meaning since the 9th of June 2012 he has played in 86.9% Springboks games.
Of the 127 appearances, he has only come off the bench nine times.
He has captained South Africa on 13 occasions.
He has also won two Rugby World Cup titles, one Rugby Championship and a British and Irish Lions series.
READ MORE: Springboks’ all-time appearance record list for South Africa
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