The Springboks had six centurions before 2022 and have welcomed a further five players to the club since.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi praised the Springbok setup and the efforts of the coaches in helping the team align under a single mindset, and help extend the longevity of players, which has allowed a number of them to reach 100 Test caps.
Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th Springbok centurion when they face the All Blacks in the second Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
He is the fifth player of the current group to reach the incredible mark over the past four years.
Before Bok record cap holder Eben Etzebeth made his 100th appearance against Wales in Cape Town in 2022, the Boks only had six Test centurions, namely Percy Montgomery, John Smit, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers and Tendai Mtawarira.
Since then Willie le Roux, Kolisi himself, Damian de Allende and now Du Toit have reached the mark, and could be followed soon by Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and Handré Pollard in the next year or two.
“I have to give credit to the coaching staff. Over the last three years we have had over 50 players being used every season. People don’t understand the rotation, but we do. They explain it to us,” said Kolisi at a captain’s press conference on Friday.
“Coach understands that some guys are older than others (and can’t handle the same load). Playing guys week in and week out won’t help with a player’s longevity. Us as players we want to play every game.
“But the coaches come with a plan, which is the World Cup. We are going to give people chances and they are honest about it. They say this is the plan, if we do well then these guys are going to play, and they tell us if the plan doesn’t work then things might change.
“So the ability for us to understand what the plan is for the team is important. If I have my own goals and they don’t align to the team goals then I have to change my mindset.”
Kolisi admitted that it was disappointing not to be able to play every game, but that they were all playing for something bigger, and thus had to accept and buy into that.
“You can be disappointed on Monday when the team is announced, but once you get onto the field to train you have to be moving forward,” said Kolisi.
“That is what sets us apart. The public might say who they think should be playing, but don’t have that mindset. We stick to our own reality and I think that has helped us a lot. It’s been driven by the coaches and we buy into that. It works for us.
“Every time the team changes it keeps us fresh, so that we don’t have as many injuries. And if someone is down, we have guys who are able to step straight in, and we don’t have a problem when there is an injury.
“That has helped us a lot and it has also helped us mature and see how the coaches think. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard, because you want to play every game. But you have to surrender your own dreams and goals and put them aside.
