The Stormers front-rower and former Junior Springbok captain made history by becoming the youngest Springbok prop to take the field in the professional era. He held his own against the Brave Blossoms during the opening Test of the End-of-Year tour and will be gunning for a second run-out when the Springboks face France in Paris on Saturday.

Although Porthen played only 48 minutes, his work in the scrum was solid; he did his job at the ruck, and he made nine tackles.

Siya Kolisi, Zachary Porthen, and Wilco Louw. Photo: SA Rugby

Making his debut was a dream come true for the youngster, and he admitted the support of the more experienced players helped calm his nerves in the lead-up to the Test.

“It was honestly unreal – a dream come true to be on the same field as all those guys. I could only dream of it before, and now it has come true. It’s crazy,” said Porthen.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life, and it’s certainly the highlight of my career so far. I’m grateful to be here, and I hope I can stay here. That’s the next step.”

Porthen said the pace of the game was exactly what he expected, but the confidence he felt came from the players around him.

“They prepped me well and kept reminding me through the week that if something goes wrong, it’s a team thing. They said, ‘Zac, don’t worry, we’ve got your back’. That gave me confidence, and it was great.”

Modest about his first outing, Porthen believes he performed reasonably well but acknowledges there is still much to learn in his career.

Daan Human. Photo: Morgan Piek

“I thought I did all right – I obviously have a lot to learn, but there are also things I can be proud of. That said, I’ll go back to the drawing board and learn.

“I’ve already spoken to coach Daan Human, and he said we have a couple of things we need to work on.

“The level of rugby was completely different, but it was nice to reach this stage. I feel I’ll be better next time because now I know what to expect.

Ox Nché  and Asenathi Ntlabakanye. Photo: SA Rugby

“It was my first game, and that in itself was like preparation for the rest of the tour. I’m going to take it one step, one day, one training session at a time, and do exactly what the coaches expect from me. If Rassie says, ‘Zac, do this’, I’m going to do exactly that.”

The victory was bittersweet for the Springboks, however, as seasoned loosehead prop Ox Nché suffered an injury and is en route back to South Africa. He will be replaced in the squad by Asenathi Ntlabakanye of the Lions.

The Springboks will announce their team to face France on Tuesday. Saturday’s highly anticipated Test at the Stade de France – the venue of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final – will kick off at 22:10.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs