Five million people in New Zealand will undoubtedly disagree, but an unequalled record of four Rugby World Cup victories arguably makes the Springboks the greatest of all time – especially as they’ve won half the RWCs they’ve ever played in. As a result, some of the greatest players in the history of the game have worn that famous green and gold jersey.

Over the years the Springboks have earned a reputation for uncompromising forward strength, brute force and – on occasion – playing the percentages. But South Africa has also produced rugby stars of prodigious ability, talent and flair. With the Rugby Championship about to get underway, here are the top 12 South Africa players of all time (in alphabetical order). Want to see the current crop of Springboks in action? Our guide will tell you how to watch the Rugby Championship wherever you are.

1. Schalk Burger

There’s been no shortage of legendary back-row forwards since the turn of the millennium – nine out of 22 World Player of the Year awards have gone to flankers or number-eights – but 2007 World Cup winner Schalk Burger was in a class of his own. An all-action loose forward, his capacity to put his body on the line for the good of the team was legendary, as was his ability to return from setbacks – during surgery in 2013, Burger contracted bacterial meningitis that could have proved fatal.

Burger ended his legendary career at Saracens aged 36, helping the team to a Premiership/European Champions Cup double in 2019.

2. Bryan Habana

The statistics say it all: 67 tries and 124 Springbok caps.

It’s not just that Brian Habana’s South Africa average is better than a try every other game, however. Or that his Springbok career lasted well over a decade. Or that no player – not even Jonah Lomu – has scored more tries in a single World Cup. Or even that his haul puts him second in the all-time list, behind Japan’s Daisuke Ohata, and ahead of bona fide legends such as David Campese, Shane Williams and Rory Underwood.

Habana’s mix of lightning pace and dazzling footwork also ensured he was pure box office. Looking for a wing for your all-time list? This Springbok has got to be in the conversation.

3. André Joubert

It’s a close run thing with Percy Montgomery – another all-time great Springbok 15 – but the 1995 World Cup winner just gets the nod. Widely dubbed “the Rolls-Royce of fullbacks”, André Joubert possessed a truly remarkable set of skills, both an elegant runner and a prodigious footballing talent – the sort of player who, if he’d been born 30 years later, would have boasted one hell of a YouTube highlights reel.

As a side note, Joubert put in an impressive performance in the 1995 RWC final despite playing with a broken hand.

4. Siya Kolisi

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 at the the 1995 World Cup – but few (if any) have had the impact of Siya Kolisi, both on and off the field. Along with the legendary Richie McCaw, he’s the only man who’s lifted the Webb Ellis Cup twice, but as the Springboks’ first ever Black captain (he grew up in the iBhayi township in Port Elizabeth), he’s an inspiration to millions around the world – a mantle he carries with sheer class, whether he’s playing for South Africa or Racing 92.

As well as being an inspirational leader, he’s an all-round back-row forward, strong at the breakdown, ferocious in the tackle, and a decent ball carrier, too. Already one of the greats, and there should be more to come.

5. Victor Matfield

Another tight call – especially as the opponent is the relentless Eben Etzebeth – but if you’re looking for the epitome of a South Africa second-row, it has to be this man. The most-capped Springbok in history (he wore the gold and green a remarkable 127 times) and a World Cup winner in 2007, Victor Matfield’s name on the team sheet (along with regular second-row partner Bakkies Botha) must have struck fear into every opponent. And aside from being a brilliant all-round forward, his uncanny ability to snatch lineout ball made him a one-of-a-kind set-piece master.

6. Tendai Mtawarira

If your nickname is “Beast” you’d better have some serious rugby skills – and power – to back it up. Luckily, popular loosehead legend Tendai Mtawarira did more than enough to earn his status as one of the all-time front-row greats. The most capped prop in Springbok history, Mtawarira lived up to his name in the scrum, and was a formidable tackler, He was also an impressive ball carrier, deceptively quick with an impressive sidestep.

Mtawarira retired at the very top, calling it quits after South Africa’s World Cup win in 1999.

7. Fourie du Preez

The fact that Joost van der Weisthuizen may not be the greatest scrum-half on this list tells you how good Fourie du Preez was. Indeed, if you were engineering the ultimate nine for the modern game, that player would possess a skillset rather like this 2007 World Cup winner’s.

That his distribution from behind the scrum was exemplary is a given, but du Preez also had pace to burn (helping him to an impressive 16 tries for his country), and an impressive range of kicking. He could also deliver a big hit when he needed to.

8. Os du Randt

Another all-time great from the class of 2007, du Randt (that Os nickname means “ox” in Afrikaans) was a powerhouse of the Springbok pack. A veteran of the 1995 World Cup squad, du Randt was 35 by the time he finally lifted the trophy. In the interim, he’d suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out of the game for more than two years, but this 20-stone loosehead still had a massive role to play in his country’s rugby fortunes.

His scrummaging prowess was legendary but he also made his presence felt in open play, and – to use that old cliché – had excellent hands for a big man.

9. John Smit

The second World Cup-winning captain on this list and yet another centurion. As well as being an inspirational skipper, Smit could play at prop as well as his more usual berth at hooker – a position where he excelled. His accuracy as a lineout thrower was impeccable, while his scrummaging ability was also impressive. But, as has become more and more important for all front-row forwards in the 21st century, he made an important contribution in the loose, both as a tackler at the breakdown and as a ball carrier.

On the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa, Shaun Edwards famously called the then-31-year-old Smit old, slow and fat. You only have to watch Smit play to understand why Edwards later apologised for those comments – though Smit did later admit that “My wife thought it was hilarious”.

10. Pieter-Steph du Toit

The 2019 World Player of the Year has cemented his place among the back-row elite. Part of a rugby dynasty (his grandfather, Pieter Stephanus du Toit V, also represented the Springboks), the 6’6” PSDT has represented his country at lock, but it’s on the blindside that his uncompromising, hard tackling style has made him an automatic pick for a succession of South Africa coaches.

Even more impressive, du Toit battled back from a freak haematoma injury in 2020 that nearly cost him his left leg, and regained his place in the Springbok side. His remarkable 28 tackles in South Africa’s 2023 World Cup Final win over the All Blacks heralded a performance (and a player) for the ages.

11. Joost van der Westhuizen

Making his mark at the end of the amateur era, when scrum-halves were typically diminutive magicians operating behind the pack, Joost van der Westhuizen stood out as a giant of the game.

It wasn’t just that his muscular, 6’2” frame made him feel like an auxiliary forward at times, paving the way for big nines such as Mike Phillips and Conor Murray. He also had the skill set to match any opponent, whether as a ball player, or making breaks for himself – his 38 tries for the Springboks remains a world record for a scrum-half.

In 2011, van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and spent the rest of his life raising awareness of the condition. He died in 2017 and will be remembered as a legend of the game.

12. Chester Williams

Crossing the whitewash 14 times in just 27 matches for his country, Chester Williams’ record as a try scorer speaks for itself. His innate ability to read the game made him a lethal finisher from the wing, and the four tries he bagged in the Springboks’ quarter-final against Western Samoa confirmed his status as one of the superstars of the team that received the Webb Ellis Cup from Nelson Mandela.

Williams was only the third person of colour to play for the Springboks, and was subsequently seen as a pivotal figure in post-apartheid South Africa. Although he appeared on numerous billboards in his home country ahead of the 1995, however, he later revealed that he was never comfortable with his status as the face of the tournament.

Sadly, Williams died of a suspected heart attack in 2019, aged just 49. 

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