Saturday night’s match against the Lions in Durban will be a record-breaking affair for veteran Stefan Terblanche, who will earn an unprecented 200th caps for the Sharks while reaching the incredible milestone of 400 first class matches.
Capped 37 times for the Springboks, he has played 112 Super Rugby and 87 Currie Cup matches for the Sharks, 67 for Boland, 87 matches for the Ospreys in Wales, three for the Barbarians, one for the SA Barbarians, four midweek games for the Boks and two for the SA Under-21 side.
No other South African has played more first class games than Terblanche, who started his career 18 years ago at Boland under Nick Mallett. Second on the all-time SA list is Ollie le Roux (357), then Albert van den Berg (338), Victor Matfield (337) and fifth is John Smit (323).
The secret to his staying power?
“Whenever I’m asked this question, I answer the same way: I’ve been very fortunate with injuries,” he says. “I’ve seen some finely-tuned, athletic rugby players who unfortunately get injured at the wrong time and I’ve just been fortunate to stay on the field.”
“You need to be smart in the way you train and the way you eat. Nutrition is vital,” the 35-year-old adds. “Sometimes your body is a bit sore and tired – and you need to listen to it. You have to make sure you get enough rest; rest is just as important as training. You have to try and find the right balance.”
Most importantly, he is still playing because the excitement is yet to wane.
“It still feels the same as my first game. I can’t differentiate much between my most recent and very first games although there is that calmness that comes with experience. There is still the edge, the butterflies, except now instead of fluttering around, they fly in formation!”
by Mike Greenaway
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