Christo Buchner

Johannesburg - Stefan Terblanche will on Saturday become the first player in the history of Sharks and Natal rugby to represent his province in 200 games.

Since making his debut in South African rugby for Boland in 1994, the man who hails from Swellendam has played an incredible 400 first class games.

This includes 37 tests for the Springboks, 87 for Welsh side Ospreys, two for the SA under-21 team, another four midweek games for the Boks, three for the Barbarians, 67 for Boland, and now 112 Super Rugby matches for the Sharks and 87 Currie Cup games for the KwaZulu-Natal side.

The 400 games that Terblanche has played in South African rugby is almost 50 more than Ollie le Roux’s 357 in second place.

Terblanche broke the long-standing record of Hugh Reece-Edwards and Steve Atherton (both 165) playing for the Sharks.

His recipe of still leading his side by example at 35 years of age is a mixture of luck, hard work and intelligence.

“I have been very fortunate with injuries,” he told the Sharks website.

“You also have to look after your body. You have to train hard, rest sufficiently and eat correctly. You also have to be smart with your training methods. Sometimes your body is a little sore and you have to listen to what it tells you. Rest is just as important as training. You have to find the right balance between the two,” said Terblanche, who was born is Mossel Bay.

He admits that it’s a major honour and privilege to stand on the verge of his 200th game for the Sharks.

“I’m just as excited about the game as when I started playing. The only difference is that composure comes with experience, though I’m still nervous before games,” said Terblanche.

“My first game for the Sharks against the Auckland Blues in 1998 was a wonderful experience. They had guys like Carlos Spencer, Jonah Lomu, Joeli Vidiri and Adrian Cashmore. It was an incredible team.”

He also remembers his 100th game against Western Province and says his highlight was last year’s Currie Cup final when he captained the Sharks to victory over WP in Durban.