The 30-year-old Etzebeth has been named in the starting XV to bring up his ton, while the hooker, Bongi Mbonambi, will be playing in his 50th Test.

Etzebeth will become the seventh South African to achieve the milestone after Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers, Percy Montgomery, Victor Matfield, Tendai Mtawarira and John Smit.

Springboks coach, Jacques Nienaber, despite the milestones, rugby remains a team sport.

“He took the two penalties he conceded last week personally - that speaks volumes about his character,” said Nienaber.

“He knows that discipline is key to winning games. Especially because of how tight they are these days.

“Rugby is a team sport and for both Eben and Bongi, they have the opportunity to play in these milestone games because of the contribution of the team.

“If you lose your 100th Test it will haunt you for the rest of your life, but the focus is on their performance and jobs firstly.

“Eben has always been an athlete. When he started out as a 20-year-old he played for the Stormers and the Springboks before he played for Western Province.

“He has developed leadership attributes and led his country. It’s nice to see him develop and grow. He was a kid when he started but he is a grown man now.

“He has matured. We were all naughty when we were younger and he was no different, but then you get some brains as you become older. That’s the growth of a rugby player.”

Saturday’s series deciding third and final Test at the Cape Town Stadium kicks off at 17:05.

Springboks - 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Trevor Nyakane.

Replacements - 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Elrigh Louw, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport