Victor Matfield: It is ‘a privilege that best Bok of all time takes over the record’
Legendary Springbok Victor Matfield has sung the praises of Eben Etzebeth and said he is delighted that his fellow lock will soon break his South African Test appearance record.
Matfield is the most capped Springbok in history having made 127 appearances over two stints, the second of which saw him packing down alongside Etzebeth during the Sharks second-row’s early stages of his international career.
Etzebeth has currently won 126 Test caps for South Africa and is set to draw level with Matfield next weekend when South Africa do battle with Argentina in their Rugby Championship clash in Santiago del Estero.
The 32-year-old star could then break the record when the Springboks and Los Pumas meet in the corresponding fixture in Nelspruit on September 28, and Matfield has no qualms about that.
‘One of the very best Boks ever, if not the best’
“I don’t think there’s a better guy to do it,” Matfield told Netwerk24. “Eben will definitely be remembered one day as one of the very best Boks ever, if not the best.
“He has had a fantastic career and has already won two World Cups. He was also South Africa’s Player of the Year. He is on his way to 150 Tests. I was privileged to play some of his first Tests with him.
“It’s a privilege for me that the best Bok of all time takes over the record from me and that the record stays with the locks.”
Meanwhile, Etzebeth downplayed the magnitude of his pending achievement and said he does not like talking about it.
“I would like to speak about that when it happens,” he said at an even hosted by South African petroleum company Engen. “I am not one to talk about things before they happen.
“When it happens, it will be great. It’s not too far away, but I don’t want to speak about it too much.
“Everyone is talking about it and it is all over the media, so it is hard not to think about it.
‘It will be an unbelievable honour for me’
“I just want to play the next Test match when I am selected and perform and then the one after that will mean that I break the record if I get the chance. It will be an unbelievable honour for me.”
Etzebeth also revealed the secret to his successful career by saying: “Just stay grounded. When you start playing for the Boks there are a lot of things happening and a lot of things get thrown at you.
“It’s just about keeping two feet on the ground and just keep on working hard.
“As soon as you think you’ve arrived and you are now the star, your legs can get kicked out of you quickly.”