While five million New Zealanders would disagree, their unrivalled record of winning the Rugby World Cup four times makes the Springboks the greatest ever, especially since they have won half the RWCs they have participated in. As a result, some of the greatest players in the history of the game have donned the famous green and gold.
Over the years, the Springboks have developed a reputation for their uncompromising frontline power, brute force and sometimes even the use of percentages. But South Africa has also produced rugby stars with incredible ability, talent and wit. With the Rugby Championship about to begin, here are 12 of the greatest South African players of all time (in alphabetical order). Want to see the Springboks in action? Our guide will show you how to watch the Rugby Championship from wherever you are.
1. Schalkburger
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There has been no shortage of legendary back-row forwards since the 2000s. Nine of the 22 World Player of the Year awards have gone to flankers or number eights, but 2007 World Cup winner Schalk Berger was a standout. An all-action loose forward, he was known for his ability to throw himself at the odds for the good of his team, and his ability to recover from setbacks. Berger contracted a potentially fatal form of bacterial meningitis during surgery in 2013.
Berger ended his legendary playing career at Saracens at the age of 36, helping the team win both the Premier League and the European Champions Cup in 2019.
2. Brian Habana
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The stats say it all: 67 tries and 124 Springbok caps.
But it’s not just that Havana’s South Africa average is better than any other try in any other match. Or that his Springbok career lasted more than a decade. Or that no player – not even Jonah Lomu – has scored more tries in a single World Cup. Or that his haul puts him second all-time behind Japan’s Daisuke Ohata, ahead of true legends like David Kempes, Shane Williams and Rory Underwood.
Habana’s lightning speed and dazzling footwork combined to ensure he was a pure showpiece. Looking for a winger for your all-time list? This Springbok should be in the conversation.
3. André Joubert
Photo: Mike Hewitt/ALLSPORT/Getty Images
It was a tight match against Percy Montgomerie, but the 1995 World Cup winner, the greatest Springbok No. 15 of all time, managed to pull through. Widely nicknamed the “Rolls Royce of Fullbacks,” Andre Joubert was a graceful runner and a tremendous footballing talent, a truly incredible skill set. A player who would have made for a YouTube highlight reel if he had been born 30 years later.
For reference, Joubert had an impressive performance in the 1995 RWC final. Despite ~ Play with a broken hand.
4. Hecolissi
Photo: MB Media/Getty Images
The Springboks have produced more than their fair share of iconic captains over the years. Clint Eastwood even made a film about Francois Pienaar’s pivotal role in the 1995 World Cup. But few have had as much of an impact on and off the pitch as Siya Kolisi. Along with the legendary Richie McCaw, he is the only man to have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup twice, but as the Springboks’ first black captain (he grew up in the iBhayi township of Port Elizabeth), he is an inspiration to millions around the world. Whether playing for South Africa or for Racing 92, he carries the mantle with pure class.
He is not only an inspirational leader, but he is also an all-round great back-row forward, strong in the breakdown, strong in the tackle, and a great ball carrier. He is already one of the greats, and there will be many more to come.
5. Victor Martfield
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Another tight call – especially when the opponent is the tenacious Eben Etzebeth – but if you’re looking for the epitome of a South African second-row, it’s this man. The most capped Springbok in history (he wore the gold and green an incredible 127 times) and a name on Victor Matfield’s 2007 World Cup-winning squad (along with regular second-row partner Barkis Botha) would have struck fear into any opponent. And as well as being a superb all-round forward, his uncanny ability to snatch the lineout ball made him a unique set-piece master.
6. Believe in the Umtawarira
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If you’re a “Beast”, you’ve got to have some serious rugby skills and power to back it up. Luckily, popular loosehead legend Tendai Mtawarira has done enough to earn his place as one of the greatest front-row players of all time. The most capped prop in Springbok history, Mtawarira lived up to his name in the scrum and was a powerful tackler. He was also an impressive ball-carrier, deceptively quick and showing impressive sidestep.
Mtawarira announced his retirement from football after winning the 1999 World Cup in South Africa.
7. Puri du Prez
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The fact that Joost van der Weisthuizen may not be the best scrum-half on this list speaks volumes about how good Fourie du Preez was. In fact, if you were designing the ultimate nine in the modern game, you would have a player with skills similar to that of the 2007 World Cup winner.
It is a given that his distribution behind the scrum was exemplary, but du Preez also possessed blazing pace (which helped him score an impressive 16 tries for his country) and an impressive range of kicking. He could also deliver a big hit when needed.
8. Our You Randt
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Another all-time great from the 2007 class, du Landt (nicknamed Os for “Ox” in Afrikaans) was a force in the Springbok pack. A veteran of the 1995 World Cup squad, du Landt was 35 when he finally lifted the trophy. A serious knee injury kept him out of action for more than two years, but the 20-stone loosehead still played a big part in his country’s rugby fortunes.
His scrum prowess was legendary, but he was also a presence in open play and, to borrow an old cliché, had excellent handling for his size.
9. John Smith
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The second World Cup winning captain on this list and another centurion. As well as being an inspirational captain, Smit was not only a more usual player at hooker but also a prop. At hooker he was outstanding. His accuracy as a lineout thrower was impeccable and his scrumming ability was impressive. But as has become increasingly important for all front-row forwards in the 21st century, he was also a key contributor as a tackler on the breakdown and as a ball carrier in the loose.
During the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa, Shaun Edwards famously called Smit, then 31, old, slow and fat. Watching Smit play, you can see why Edwards later apologised for the remark, although Smit later admitted, “My wife thought it was funny.”
10. Pieter-Steph du Toit
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The 2019 World Player of the Year has cemented his place among the back-row elite. A member of a rugby dynasty (his grandfather Pieter Stephanus du Toit V also represented the Springboks), the 6’6” PSDT has been locked in for his country, but it was his uncompromising, hard-tackling style that has made him an automatic choice for a string of South African coaches.
Even more impressively, du Toit has recovered from a freak haematoma injury that almost cost him his left leg in 2020 to regain his place in the Springbok team. His incredible 28 tackles against the All Blacks in South Africa’s 2023 World Cup final heralded an achievement (and player) for the ages.
11. Just van der Westhuizen
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
At the end of an amateur era when scrumhalfs were typically little wizards operating at the back of the pack, Jost van der Westhuizen emerged as a giant of the game.
His muscular 6’2” frame sometimes made him feel like a sub-forward, and not only did he pave the way for big nines like Mike Phillips and Connor Murray. He also had the skill to match all opposition, whether as a ball-player or as a run-in. His 38 tries for the Springboks remain a world record for a scrum-half.
In 2011, Van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and dedicated the rest of his life to raising awareness for the condition. He died in 2017 and will be remembered as a legend of the game.
12. Chester Williams
Photo: PHILIP LITTLETON/AFP via Getty Images
Chester Williams’s record speaks for itself as a try scorer, having scored 14 whitewashes in just 27 appearances for his country. His natural ability to read the game makes him a lethal finisher on the wing, and his four tries in the Springboks’ quarter-final win over Western Samoa confirmed his status as one of the superstars of the team that won the Webb Ellis Cup from Nelson Mandela.
Williams was the third person of colour to play for the Springboks and was later seen as a pivotal figure in post-apartheid South Africa. But despite appearing on numerous billboards across his country in the run-up to the 1995 tournament, he later revealed he was never satisfied with being the face of the tournament.
Sadly, Williams died of a suspected heart attack in 2019 at the age of just 49.
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