Durban - Adriaan Strauss's Springbok journey began all the way back in 2008 in a 16-9 loss to Australia in Perth.
Of his 62 caps, 31 have been starts while 31 have been as a substitute.
That is down largely to Bismarck du Plessis owning the No 2 jersey for many years, but Strauss's contribution to the cause cannot be understated.
He was named Allister Coetzee's Springbok captain ahead of the Ireland series and has guided the Boks through an incredibly tough period.
On Saturday, he will play his last Test match in South Africa.
The 30-year-old's decision to retire from international rugby at the end of the year certainly came as a shock, and the Boks will be looking to send their captain off in style.
"I think I started around the same time as him in 2008 and he's just been an outstanding team man," Tendai Mtawarira said.
"We definitely want to make it special for him but he's the kind of guy who doesn't put himself before the team.
"He never even spoke about it this week. He's been saying it's all about the team and us finishing on a high. He hasn't mentioned it once, but we know at the back of our heads that we are running behind Adriaan for the last time in South Africa and we want to make it special for him."
Coetzee, meanwhile, was looking for a solid performance from his skipper.
"We won't allow emotions to come into this one," the coach said.
"Adriaan understands his job and responsibility on Saturday and I'm not looking for anything other than another good performance like he put up last week."
Teams:
South Africa
15 Pat Lambie, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Jaco Kriel, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Willie le Roux
New Zealand
15 Ben Smith, 14 Israel Dagg, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Substitutes: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Liam Squire, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 George Moala