Springbok, then Province

Last Saturday, Eben Etzebeth played his first match for Western Province, after playing for South Africa in Test matches, still an Under-21 player.  Unusual but not unique.

What is unusual is that the 20-year-old has already played eight Tests. He is still eligible for Western Province Under-20 as is the Western Province front row of Steven Kitshoff, Siyabonga Ntubeni and Frans Malherbe.

There are others of similar achievement.

Wally Mills of Somerset West had not played for Western Province when he was chosen to play against the British & Irish touring team in 1910.  He was then just over 19.

The next was JC van der Westhuizen, the three-quarter whose first Test was against the All Blacks of 1928 – before he had played for Western Province.

Danie Craven had not played for Western Province – or any other province – before he became a Springbok. On the day before his 21st birthday, which was on 11 October 1931, Craven first pulled on a Springbok jersey to play against Swansea at St Helen's Ground. He was so battered by the Swansea forwards that day that he went off to a masseur the next day who announced: "There is not a part of your body that is not bruised." He spent his 21st in pain.

The 1937 Springboks were the first team to win a Test series in New Zealand. Amongst them was Johnny Bester of a great Cape rugby family. He had not yet played provincial rugby and in fact did not turn 20 till Christmas day after the tour.

In 1971 the Springboks went off to Australia on an unbeaten tour. One of them was Dawie Snyman, who had not yet played for South Africa. He went on to play 10 Tests  and become a coaching guru at Stellenbosch and in Western Province.

The strangest of the lot is scrumhalf Jack Immelman. He was 24 when he was chosen for the 1912 Springbok tour and he played in a Test on that tour. He played rugby till the age of 35 but never once played for Western Province – or any other Province. He is the only Springbok never to have played provincial rugby.

And now there is Eben Etzebeth. He turns 21 on 29 October 2012.