Kurt-Lee Arendse could be the next Bryan Habana

SPOTLIGHT: Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse has bobbed and weaved his way into the record books matching Bryan Habana’s record as the fastest player to reach 10 tries for the Springboks, in just eight matches.

The prolific try-scorer burst onto the international scene when he scored his maiden Test try against New Zealand, condemning them to three straight defeats for the first time since 1998 as 14-man South Africa triumphed 26-10 in the Rugby Championship opener in Nelspruit in 2022.

The 27-year-old also has a remarkable record of scoring in seven consecutive Test matches for the Springboks.

His hat-trick against Australia at Loftus on July 8 in the Rugby Championship opener this year will go down in the annals of rugby, not only for his exploits, but also for the way in which the Springboks humiliated the men from Down Under in their 43-12 victory.

Arendse’s first two tries came down to him outpacing the haphazard Aussies as he dotted down in quick succession, but he was made to work hard for the third, as he was closed down by three Wallaby defenders.

With this third try, Arendse quickly became the most talked about international wing in a World Cup year and already put him in the same class as Bryan Habana, the world’s second-leading try-scorer and South Africa’s most prolific finisher of all time.

Thanks to his exploits, scoring his 10th try in only eight Springbok Tests, Arendse deservedly was named player of the match.

With this performance, he literally set the cat amongst the pigeons and highlighted the competition amongst the Bok wings.

Makazole Mapimpi reached the milestone of ten Test tries in ten Tests, but his current form, especially against New Zealand in Auckland recently, has elevated Arendse’s chances of making the No.11 jumper his own.

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Hear from Kurt-Lee Arendse after his stunning hat-trick for the #Springboks at a packed Loftus on Saturday 🦅#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/l25dHFCZo5

— Springboks (@Springboks) July 10, 2023

Habana scored 67 tries in 124 caps for the Springboks while he was also the all-time joint top try scorer in World Cups alongside legendary All Blacks finisher Jonah Lomu (15 tries), and shares the accolade for try-scoring in a single World Cup with Lomu and Julian Savea (eight tries).

The Springboks’ list of the quickest ten Test tries:

Bryan Habana – 8 Tests
Kurt-Lee Arendse – 8 Tests
Pieter Rossouw – 9 Tests
Makazole Mapimpi – 10 Tests
Chester Williams – 12 Tests