Stalwart Morné Steyn will on Saturday lead the Vodacom Bulls onto the field against the Highlanders in Dunedin in his 100th match for the team.
The fly half will become the sixth centurion for the franchise when he takes the field against the same side he played his 50th match in Super Rugby against.
On that occasion, in 2009, the Vodacom Bulls lost 32-19 to the Highlanders in Palmerston North.
“This will be a great day for me, but the result will always come first. I have a certain task to do in the team environment and we play together as a team, so it should not be about me,” Steyn commented on his achievement.
“It is great to reach 100 games and I will be the first Bulls player to achieve this milestone playing in pink,” the 27 year old joked.
Steyn will also lead the team onto the field in their first game back at Loftus Versfeld on June 2nd against the Stormers.
“It is nice to know that someone like Wynand Olivier, who is also close to his century, will be there to share this with me,” Steyn said.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke and captain Pierre Spies also paid tribute to Steyn.
“He is such a humble person and the ultimate team player. I know that he would prefer a win on the day as the best form of celebration for this fantastic achievement,” the coach said.
“Morné is reaching this at a relative young age, which makes it even more remarkable,” Spies said.
“We are all proud to share this day with him.”
Fact file: Morné Steyn
Physical: 1.82m & 91 kg
Born: 11/07/1984, Bloemfontein
Provincial caps: 93 (Blue Bulls)
Provincial points: 780
Super Rugby caps: 99 (Vodacom Bulls)
Super Rugby points: 1134
Test caps: 34 (South Africa)
Test points: 410
Personal:
Marital status: Married to Christelle
Favourite movies: Taken, The Hangover
Favourite music: R&B
Favourite food: Boerekos (traditional dish)
Primary School: Fichardtpark, Bloemfontein
High School: Sand du Plessis, Bloemfontein
Records:
Holds record for most points in a Tri-Nations test (31) and most points in a test by a Springbok against New Zealand (31).
He also holds World record for the player who scored all points in a test match (31).
Holds record for the fastest 400 points in Springbok tests (33 tests).
Honours:
SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee, 2009; test Player of the Castle SA 2009 Lions Series; Vodacom Super 14 Player of the Year, and 2009 Player's Player of the Year, 2009.
First South African player and third overall to reach 1000 points in Vodacom Super Rugby (2012).