Cape Town - For Eben Etzebeth, reaching his Test century was special for more than one reason.
The Springboks clinched the Series against Wales after defeating Wayne Pivac’s team 30-14 in the decider after winning the opener in Pretoria and losing out in Bloemfontein in the second.
The lock became the youngest Bok centurion and joined an elite club which includes Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Percy Montgomery, Tendai Mtawarira, Victor Matfield and John Smit.
Etzebeth made his debut in a Series against England 10 years ago, and at the weekend, he reached his milestone in perfect fasion with a Man-of-the-Match performance in front of a lively 50 000-strong crowd.
What would have made the occasion even better was the fact that the second-row forward giant's fiance’ sang the national anthem before the game.
The youngest @Springboks centurion 🇿🇦
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Eben Etzebeth: a titan in the second row 💪 pic.twitter.com/bDn37xeqW7
There was also a large wick reading 'Eben100' on the field before kick-off.
"I had my family here and that made it special, and it was obviously pleasing to get the win... even if you take away all of that and just give us the win, that will make me all the more happier," he said.
"The most important thing was to get the victory and I'm very happy for the team. I think every guy in the team put their hands up.
"Whoever did that, thank you so much," Etzebeth said about the wick.
The 30-year-old was on the field for 60 minutes before he was replaced by Franco Mostert.
You shall not pass ❌
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Jasper Wiese and Eben Etzebeth delivering 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐒 💥
📺 Stream #RSAvWAL live: https://t.co/0BMWdennut pic.twitter.com/ghctZYOlAU
In those three quarters, he made massive carries and produced some big tackles.
When asked if he knew he knew he would come off around the hour-mark, he said:
“I would have wanted to go for the full 80. To be honest, I was actually sick on Friday,” Etzebeth said. “I think the coaches saw that I was a bit tired. I struggled with my chest and was struggling to breath. I think the 60 minutes went really well.
“When you have someone like Franco Mostert on the bench...that man doesn’t stop working. He’s a great player and always brings 100%. So when you go off and Sous comes on, you know he’s going to go harder.”
It was also a special day for hooker Bongi Mbonambi, who made his 50th appearance.
"He knows how I feel about him. I've told him before. He's a warrior and it was special for me to share the day with him," said Etzebeth about the No 2.
The Boks will be back in action when Rugby Championship kicks off next month.
@WynonaLouw