Springboks captain Salmaan Moerat has hailed inspirational lock Eben Etzebeth ahead of the veteran’s record-equalling appearance for South Africa.

When Etzebeth makes his mark off the bench in the Rugby Championship round five fixture against Argentina, he will earn his 127th Test cap matching the tally of legendary Springbok lock Victor Matfield.

The 32-year-old is set to make the record his own next weekend when the Boks tackle Los Pumas in Nelspruit but this week, the tributes to the powerhouse lock have already poured in.

Salmaan Moerat pays tribute to Eben Etzebeth

With Siya Kolisi rested for the first Test match against Argentina, lock Moerat has been entrusted with the captaincy once again.

It will be the third time this year that the 26-year-old has skippered the team having done so against Portugal and Australia.

Moerat joined in on the praise for his Springboks team-mate who reaches a special milestone in Santiago as he highlighted Etzebeth’s ability to produce outstanding performances week after week.

“When I started at the union at the Stormers and Western Province, Eben was obviously there still and I had the privilege of playing a few games with him,” Moerat said.

“I think that the record is just a testament to the person that he is, the player he is on the field and most importantly the person that he is off it.

“The one thing that stands out for me is his consistency and his ability to perform week in and week out. It’s not just the average performance that he produces, it’s a world-class one each and every week.

“That’s something that we as younger players and as a squad can learn from him. He carries himself really well and he is a leader of men.”

Etzebeth made his Springboks debut back in 2012 against England and has started 118 of his 126 Tests for South Africa winning two Rugby World Cups and a British and Irish Lions Series.

Moerat’s first clash against Los Pumas

While Etzebeth has featured 20 times against Argentina in his international career, fellow lock Moerat will be taking on the Pumas for the first time.

Moerat, who will play in his 10th Test for South Africa, spoke equally highly of the opposition.

The Boks skipper aims to guide his side to a Bok record of six successive wins in the Rugby Championship. However, it will be no easy task as Los Pumas chase a first of their own having never beaten all three other nations in the same edition of the tournament before, but they are on the cusp of doing so this year after beating New Zealand and Australia in rounds one and four.

“They are a great side and they have a good identity, but that said, there’s also another milestone we can achieve this weekend (winning six matches in a row for the first time ever in the Rugby Championship),” said Moerat.

“So, although our focus is on sticking to our systems and delivering a top-quality performance, we believe if we do that correctly, hopefully we can come away with the desired result.

A win for the Springboks will also seal the Rugby Championship title for Rassie Erasmus’ men, becoming the first team other than New Zealand to win a full tournament. South Africa’s other Rugby Championship triumph came in 2019 – a truncated tournament due to the Rugby World Cup.