Eben Etzebeth WILL leapfrog Bryan Habana’s Test mark this weekend
Eben Etzebeth will in all likelihood pass Bryan Habana as the second-most capped Springbok of all time at Ellis Park on Saturday, 31 August.
Eben Etzebeth will in all likelihood pass Bryan Habana as the second-most capped Springbok of all time at Ellis Park on Saturday, 31 August.
After initially having been excluded from the Springbok 23-man squad announced for the Rugby Championship showdown in Johannesburg, it was confirmed on Wednesday that the 32-year-old second rower will start on the substitutes’ bench after all.
Kick-off is at 17:00.
Etzebeth and Habana currently both have 124th Test appearances in the green and gold.
Lock Victor Matfield holds the record for Springbok Test caps with 127.
Etzebeth wasn’t originally included in Rassie Erasmus’s matchday squad for the first Test against New Zealand after struggling with both back and knee injuries.
However, in announcing the change, Erasmus said: “Our selection policy has always been that if a player does not train on a Monday he will not play on Saturday, but Eben has made it through training pain-free all week, so we had to make the tough call to name him in the squad at the expense of Marco (van Staden).
“There were back-up options for us at lock in the initial squad, but with Eben on the bench it means we have another specialist in that position in the team.”
Eben Etzebeth has time on his side
With the Springboks set to play six more Tests in 2024 (after this weekend), assuming he stays injury-free, Etzebeth will assume the mantle of most-capped Springbok before the year is out.
Etzebeth also has time on his side considering he will only turn 33 in late October.
Below, Springboks to have played 80 or more Tests heading into Saturday’s match:
| Player | Tests | Tries |
| Victor Matfield | 127 | 7 |
| Bryan Habana | 124 | 67 |
| Eben Etzebeth * | 124 | 6 |
| Tendai Mtawarira | 117 | 2 |
| John Smit | 111 | 8 |
| Jean de Villiers | 109 | 27 |
| Percy Montgomery | 102 | 25 |
| Willie le Roux * | 96 | 15 |
| Joost van der Westhuizen | 89 | 38 |
| Ruan Pienaar | 88 | 8 |
| Schalk Burger | 86 | 16 |
| Siya Kolisi * | 86 | 11 |
| Bakkies Botha | 85 | 7 |
| Steven Kitshoff * | 83 | 2 |
| Damian De Allende * | 82 | 11 |
| Pieter-Steph du Toit * | 81 | 9 |
| Os du Randt | 80 | 5 |
TEAMS
South Africa (revised)
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard
New Zealand
TBA