The Greatest South African Rugby Players of all time
5 of the Best South African Rugby Players of All Time
The Springboks have a very proud rugby history and have achieved much in the game including Rugby World Cup wins in 1995, 2007 and 2019.
New Zealand are the only other nation to have won it on three occasions. But who are the Springbok’s greatest ever players?
Naas Botha - Springbok Great
Here I have picked 5 players who I think are among the best to have worn the famous green and gold jersey. Each of them are Springbok legends and are admired around the globe for their achievements in the game.
Naas Botha - Fly Half
Caps: 28
Points: 312
The Springbok flyhalf Naas Botha played for South Africa 28 times between 1980 and 1992. During his international career, he was named as the rugby player of the year on 4 occasions. Most of his Springbok career spanned the sporting wilderness that South Africa faced due to Apartheid.
Rugby Legend: Naas Botha
He will be remembered as a hugely talented kicker who was deadly with the boot and scored 312 points for his country. He held the record as South Africa’s leading point’s scorer until 2004. He also spent some time in the NFL and played rugby in the USA and Italy. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest Springboks of all time.
Francois Pienaar - Flanker
Caps: 29
Points: 15
The sight of Francois Pienaar lifting the William Webb Ellis trophy alongside the then President of South Africa Nelson Mandela will forever remain one of the most iconic moments in sporting history. Pienaar captained the victorious Springboks to world cup glory and united a nation.
His debut as South Africa’s open side flanker and captain began in 1993. He was capped 29 times and captained the team for all of them. He retired from international rugby in 1996. It was a relatively short amount of time to be an international player. But during that time he spearheaded South Africa’s World Cup campaign. He then went on to have a successful run with English club side Saracens, lifting the Tetley’s Bitter Cup in 1998.
Joost Van Der Westhuizen - Scrum-Half
Caps: 89
Points: 190
There was no better servant to Springbok rugby than Joost Van Der Westhuizen. The scrum half played 89 times for the Springboks and featured in 3 World Cups, including their victorious assault in 1995. Many rate him as the best international scrum half to have ever played the game.
He scored 198 points for the Boks, including an impressive 38 tries. He was lethal around the break down, and if any gaps appeared he would often slip through to score. He showed great courage on the field and would face another battle off it. In 2011 he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He fought hard but the disease eventually got the better of him. Sadly, he passed away in 2017.
Bryan Habana - Winger
Caps: 124
Points: 335
The Cheetah racing, Springbok wing accumulated an impressive 124 caps for South Africa. His international playing career began against England at Twickenham in 2004. As well as playing on the wing and in the centre in the full version of the game; he was also an accomplished 7’s player. During his international career he ran in 67 tries.
He helped South Africa to win their second Rugby World Cup title in 2007. In the same year he was named the International Rugby Boards player of the year. His speed and finishing made him one of the deadliest wingers in world rugby. In South Africa he played his rugby for the Golden Lions, The Blue Bulls and Western Province. He finished his career at Toulon in France in 2018.
Mark Andrews - Lock/Number 8
Caps: 77
Points: 60
Another of the 1995 World Cup Winning team, Mark Andrews was a towering figure and highly influential player in the side. During his international career, Andrews was awarded 77 caps and scored 12 tries for his country. He could play in the second row or at No 8.
The Sin Bin: Chatting to Mark Andrews
In 1997 he was part of the team that took on the victorious British and Irish Lions. He played his provincial rugby for Natal Sharks winning the Currie Cup two years running. He later headed to England to play for Newcastle Falcons and retired from the game in 2004 after a highly successful career.
The Springbok way - Who makes your list of South African Rugby Greats?
There were so many worthy players who deserved to be mentioned in this article. South Africa has always sat at the top table when it comes to success in the sport. The Springboks play a very physical brand of rugby, and any team who play them know that they have to try and beat them at their own game. Many try, but few succeed.
