In 2011, a young Eben Etzebeth wandered ito a book launch at Newlands. At the time, he was already turning heads in Western Province's youth set-up, having won the Varsit Cup with UCT. As it happened, that book launch was for Victor Matfield's autobiography.
Towering above most, even at just 19 years old, Etzebeth was a raw talent – yet undeniably special. On that day, Matfield, a man who knew a thing or two about world-class locks, pulled him aside and made a bold prediction.
'I invited him to have a braai with us and I told him, “I think you can play for the Boks next year,” Matfield recalls. 'I didn't know if he really belived me, but the next year he got picked by Heyneke Meyer to play…
