Springboks

Beast hits 100: How other 5 Bok centurions fared in milestone match

2018-06-14 11:16

Cape Town - Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira will earn his 100th Test cap on Saturday, becoming only the sixth South African to do so when the Springboks take on England in their second Test in Bloemfontein.

Kick-off is at 17:05.

It will be a massive moment for the 32-year-old, who will become the first black South African, and first prop, to reach that milestone. 

When Mtawarira is named in the starting line-up for the clash later on Thursday, it will mean that he has started 91 of his 100 Tests; a seriously impressive statistic for a loosehead prop. 

Here, we look at the five men who came before the 'Beast' and examine how their 100th Test cap turned out. 

For one, the occasion ended in celebration while, for the four others, a Bok loss meant the day was bittersweet. 

Let's hope Beast can celebrate his special day with another win over England - and a series victory. 

1. VICTOR MATFIELD (127 Tests)

August 28, 2010: SA 44-31 Australia (Pretoria)

Matfield, South Africa's most capped player ever, started his 100th Test on his home patch at Loftus alongside Flip van der Merwe in the second row. The Boks were too good for the Wallabies that day, running in five tries to secure victory in front of the fans that loved Matfield most. Matfield was his usual dominant self in the lineouts, while he also chipped in with nine tackles on the day. 

2. BRYAN HABANA (124 Tests)

September 6, 2014: Australia 24-23 SA (Perth)

Habana's 100th Test for the Boks could have ended so differently. The Boks, through six Morne Steyn penalties and a try from Cornal Hendricks, led the Aussies 23-17 going into the final 10 minutes. But a late Rob Horne try won it for the hosts. The interesting thing about that try is that it came with the Boks down to 14 men after Habana himself had been yellow-carded in the 65th minute.

3. JOHN SMIT (111 Tests)

August 21, 2010: SA 22-29 NZ (Johannesburg)

Smit, like Habana, had a cruel end to his milestone match. The Boks were up by five points and on course for a famous win heading into the final five minutes, but two late All Black tries stunned Smit and the Ellis Park crowd. Smit dropped to one knee in disbelief after the final whistle was blown, and as his wife and kids took to the field to join him for what should have been a celebration, the disappointment on his face was there for all to see. 

4. JEAN DE VILLIERS (109 Tests)

September 13, 2014: NZ 14-10 SA (Wellington)

It was always going to be a tough ask for the Boks to give De Villiers a 100th Test win, but they did put up a fight to be proud of. The Boks went into half-time with a 7-6 lead thanks to a Cornal Hendricks try, but they fell just short in a gruelling second half. De Villiers, playing in the No 12 jersey, left everything out on the park as he threw himself into tackles and made 12 runs for the Boks. 

5. PERCY MONTGOMERY (102 Tests)

August 16, 2008: SA 0-19 NZ (Cape Town)

South Africa's all-time leading points scorer couldn't get on the board at all on his big day. The Boks were outplayed in every department. Montgomery was poor, missing two kickable penalties to get the Boks moving, and he was replaced before the hour mark. Montgomery was the first Bok to reach 100 Tests, but how that Test unfolded will not be something that he savours. 

Read more on:    springboks  |  beast mtawarira  |  rugby
NEXT ON SPORT24X

What To Read Next

 

Read News24’s Comments Policy

Live Video Streaming
Video Highlights

Fixtures
Saturday, 09 June 2018
Japan v Italy, Oita Bank Stadium 07:45
New Zealand v France, Eden Park 09:35
Australia v Ireland, Suncorp Stadium 12:00
South Africa v England, Emirates Airline Park 17:05
Argentina v Wales, Estadio Bicentenario 21:40
Sunday, 10 June 2018
Canada v Scotland, Commonwealth Stadium 03:10
Saturday, 16 June 2018
Japan v Italy, NOEVIR Stadium Kobe 07:00
New Zealand v France, Westpac Stadium 09:35
Australia v Ireland, AAMI Park 12:00
South Africa v England, Toyota Stadium 17:05
Argentina v Wales, Estadio Brigadier Estanislao López 21:40
Sunday, 17 June 2018
USA v Scotland, BBVA Compass Stadium 02:00
Saturday, 23 June 2018
New Zealand v France, Forsyth Barr Stadium 09:35
Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium 12:00
South Africa v England, Cape Town 17:05
Argentina v Scotland, Estadio Centenario 21:40
Saturday, 18 August 2018
South Africa v Argentina, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium 17:05
Vote

With the Springboks 1-0 up in their three-Test series against England, how do see the remaining Tests panning out?

Men
Women
Love 2 Meet
Sport24 on Twitter

Follow Sport24 news on Twitter

Featured

The 2017/18 Absa Premiership season has wrapped up. For all the season highlights - and lowlights - be sure to visit Sport24!

Latest blogs
 

Twitter Follow Sport24 on Twitter

Facebook "Like" Sport24's Facebook page

WIN Enter and win with Sport24!

BlackBerry Stay in the loop on your BlackBerry

RSS Feeds Sport news delivered really simply.

 
There are new stories on the homepage. Click here to see them.