Bokdle #23: 24 Oct 2026

The mystery green and gold player on 24 Oct 2026 was Grant Esterhuizen: Test player #692 · Centre · 7 caps · 0 tries · School: Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool.

Grant Esterhuizen was a solid, hard-running centre who won all seven of his Springbok caps in a single season, 2000, before taking his game to France. Born in Alexander Bay, right up on the Namibian border in the far north-west of the country, in April 1976, he matriculated at Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria and played for Northern Transvaal at Craven Week in 1993 and 1994.

A Bull, then a Cat

He made his senior debut for the Blue Bulls in 1996 and played Super Rugby for the Bulls in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 he moved to the Golden Lions and the Cats, and that move came with a Springbok call-up. He was one of the centres Nick Mallett and then Harry Viljoen turned to in a year of change for the national side.

The 2000 season

Esterhuizen's first cap came off the bench in Christchurch in July 2000, a 25–12 defeat by the All Blacks. A month later he started at outside centre in one of the great Tests at Ellis Park, when South Africa beat New Zealand 46–40. He started again in a one-point loss to Australia in Durban, and then on the end-of-year tour against Argentina in Buenos Aires and Ireland in Dublin, both wins. He came off the bench against Wales and England to finish the tour, and that was the last of his seven Tests.

France and home

He spent a season with Bourgoin-Jallieu in 2003–04 after a short spell with the Stormers, came back to the Lions and the Cats, and then returned to France with Clermont Auvergne from 2006 to 2009. He also represented South Africa at sevens in 2003.

Test record

From bokhist.com's Test-by-Test list:

• Springbok number: 692
• Debut: 22 July 2000, aged 24, off the bench against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch (lost 12–25)
• Last Test: 2 December 2000, aged 24, off the bench against England at Twickenham, London (lost 17–25)
• Tests: 7: 4 starts and 3 off the bench
• Results: 4 wins and 3 losses, a winning rate of 57%
• Starts by position: outside centre 4
• Most often played against: New Zealand (2 Tests)

Did you know?

• All seven of his Tests came within five months.
• He played in the 46–40 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park in August 2000, one of the highest-scoring Tests between the two sides.

Sources: bokhist.com, en.wikipedia.org

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