Damian De Allende became just the 10th Springbok player to join the 100-Test centurion club on Saturday against the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Newlands.
To date, 958 players have pulled the famed green and gold jersey over the heads, but only 10 have gone on to play at least 100 matches.
For five of those 10 players, the milestone has been spoiled by defeat, while five others have walked away winners on the day.
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Three players played their 100th Test outside of South Africa, while four ‘raised their bat’ against the All Blacks, two against the Wallabies and one each against England, Wales, France and Italy.
Curiously, no Springbok has scored a point in their 100th Test.
Full list of Springbok centurions
Percy Montgomery became the first ever Springbok centurion on 16 August 2008 when he started at fullback against the All Blacks at Newlands, a stone’s throw away from his alma mater, SACS.
The Springboks lost 19-0.
Montgomery was 34 at the time.
He ended his career with 102 Tests to his name and a record-to-this-day 893 points, thanks to 25 tries, 153 conversions, 148 penalties and six drop goals.
John Smit was the second Springbok to play 100 Tests when he captained the side on 21 August 2010 against the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
The Springboks lost 29-22.
Smit, who started at hooker that day, was 32 at the time.
He ended his career with 111 Tests to his name and 40 points thanks to eight tries.
Victor Matfield was the third Springbok to reach 100 Tests, with his milestone coming just a week (28 August 2010) after John Smit, this time against the Wallabies at his beloved Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The Springboks won 44-31, with Matfield, who started at lock, 33 years old on the day.
Matfield, who hung up his boots after 127 Tests, scored 35 points for the Springboks thanks to seven tries.
Bryan Habana was the fourth Springbok to reach 100 Tests in the green and gold, with his milestone coming on 6 September 2014 against the Wallabies at the then Subiaco Oval in Perth.
The Springboks lost 24-23, with Habana 31 on the day.
He ended his career after 124 Tests and still holds the record of 67 tries for the Springboks, giving him the fourth-highest number of Test points with 335.
Jean de Villiers became the fifth Springbok Test centurion on 13 September 2014, just a week after Bryan Habana reached the milestone.
De Villiers’ 100th Test came against the All Blacks at the then Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, a match the Springboks lost 14-10.
He was 33 on the day of the Test and started at inside centre.
De Villiers played 109 Tests in total, scoring 135 points via 27 tries.
Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira became the sixth Springbok to play 100 Tests and the first prop to do so.
Born in Harare in Zimbabwe, Mtawarira’s 100th Test came on 16 June 2018 against England at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The Springboks won the match 23-12 with Mtawarira, who played his rugby as a loosehead prop, 32 on the day.
He played a total of 117 Tests, scoring 10 points via two tries.
Eben Etzebeth became the seventh – and youngest to date – Springbok to play 100 Tests when he ran out at lock at the Cape Town Stadium at age 30 against Wales on 16 July 2022.
The Springboks won the match 30-14.
Making the occasion extra-special, was the fact that Etzebeth’s wife, Anlia, sang the national anthem prior to kick-off.
Etzebeth has to date played 143 Tests, the most for the Springboks and the sixth-most of all time.
He has scored 45 points via nine tries.
Willie le Roux became the eighth player to play 100 Tests for the Springboks when he did so from fullback against Italy on 12 July 2025 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
He had the least stressful 100th Test, with the Springboks winning 45-0.
Le Roux was 35 on the day, making him the oldest Springbok to play his 100th Test.
Although still active, Le Roux isn’t currently part of the Springbok set-up.
He has scored 75 points via 15 tries in his 101 Tests to date.
Siya Kolisi became the ninth Springbok to play 100 Tests when he captained the side from flank against France at the Stade de France in Paris on 8 November 2025.
The Springboks won the match 32-17.
Kolisi was 34 at the time of the match.
To date, Kolisi has played 104 Tests, scoring 70 points via 14 tries.
Damian de Allende became the 10th and most recent Springbok centurion on 22 August 2026 against the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The Springboks lost the match 33-16.
De Allende, who was 34 on match-day, started at inside centre.
He has scored 55 points for the Springboks via 11 tries, but hasn’t scored in his last 25 Tests.
Pieter-Steph du Toit, with 99 Test caps, is next in line to join the centurion club, potentially in Cape Town next weekend. Time will tell whether he’s a winner – or loser – on that occasion.
Others in line to reach triple figures in the not so distance future are Jesse Kriel (91 Tests), Malcolm Marx (90 Tests) and Handre Pollard (87 Tests).
How many of the above 100th Test matches do you recall?
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