The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblem is the native antelope springbok. The team has been representing South Africa in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team.
Frederick Johannes 'Fritz' van Heerden is a former South African rugby union player who played international rugby for the Springboks, making his debut on 4 June 1994 in Pretoria against the England touring side. Van Heerden played rugby with Western Province and Leicester Tigers.
Victor Matfield is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played for and captained the South Africa national team (Springboks) as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in Super Rugby. He is generally considered one of the best locks to have ever played for South Africa and had a long successful partnership with Springbok and Blue Bulls teammate Bakkies Botha.
In 1974, the British Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia. Under the leadership of Willie John McBride, the Lions went through the tour undefeated, winning 21 of their 22 matches and being held to a draw in the final match, albeit in controversial circumstances. The 1974 squad became known as 'The Invincibles' and regarded as the greatest rugby tour in history.
Morné du Plessis OIS is a former South African rugby union player often described as one of the Springboks' most successful captains. During the five years from 1975 to 1980 that he served as captain, the Springboks won 13 of 15 matches, giving Du Plessis an 86.66% success rate as captain.
Philippus Albertus van den Berg is a South African former professional rugby union rugby player. His usual position was at lock. He played for the Sharks in the international Super 14 competition. He has also played for the Springboks.
Wikus van Heerden is a former South African rugby union footballer who played as a flanker and finished his career playing for the Lions in Super Rugby, and the Golden Lions in the national Currie Cup competition. Van Heerden has also played for the national team, the Springboks. Before his move to the Bulls, he was the captain of the Cats. Van Heerden is known for his high work rate, toughness as well as his leadership experience, despite having captained perpetually unsuccessful teams.
Jan Nathaniel du Plessis is a South African rugby union player, who plays as a prop for Montpellier in the French Top 14 and the Lions in Super Rugby. He played for the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and the Cheetahs in Super Rugby until 2007, when he joined Durban-based side the Sharks, where he played until 2015. He won 70 caps for South Africa between 2007 and 2015.
The 1994 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand was a series of rugby union matches played in New Zealand by the South African national rugby union team, from June - August 1994. The team played 14 matches in total; 11 against several provincial rugby teams and 3 against the New Zealand national rugby union team. South Africa won 10 out of the 11 matches against provincial sides, losing one match to Otago. They lost their first two test matches against the New Zealand national side and drew the last test. The South African coach for the tour was Ian McIntosh. This was the South African team's first tour to New Zealand since the controversial 1981 South Africa rugby union tour, which was received negatively by New Zealanders due to South Africa's Apartheid legislation at the time.
Adriaan "Attie" Jacobus van Heerden was a South African Olympian 400-metre hurdler, rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for South Africa (Springboks), at provincial level for Western Province and Transvaal, and at university level for Stellenbosch University, as a Wing, i.e. number 11 or 14, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Other Nationalities, and at club level for Wigan and Leigh, as a wing, i.e. number 3 or 4. Attie van Heerden played for Wigan in the same era as fellow South African Afrikaner David Booysen.
Ebenezer (Eben) Charlotte Etzebeth is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Toulon in the Top 14 in France. His regular playing position is as a number 4 lock.
The 1965 Argentina rugby union tour of South Africa and Rhodesia was a series of 16 matches played by the Argentina national team in May and June 1965 in Rhodesia and South Africa.
Felix du Plessis (1919-1978) was a South African rugby union footballer and captain of the South Africa (Springbok) team that in 1949 beat the All Blacks thrice in succession, a feat that was not repeated by a South African side until 2009. Du Plessis's son, Morné, also captained the Springboks, the only father-son duo to have done so.
The History of the South Africa national rugby union team dates back to 1891, when the British Lions first toured South Africa where they played against South African representative sides. The South Africa national rugby union team played few international matches during a period of international sanctions due to apartheid. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has once again fully participated in international rugby.
Philip "Flippie" Rudolph van der Merwe is a South African former rugby union player who played six test matches for the South Africa national rugby union team from 1981 to 1989.
Kevin Brian Henry de Klerk is a former South African rugby union player.
Hermanus Lambertus Potgieter is a former South African rugby union player.
Cornelius Michael 'Nelie' Smith was a South African rugby union player and coach.
Johannes Hermanus Hugo 'Boland' Coetzee is a former South African rugby union player. He is a wine farmer and winemaker at his farm Vriesenhof, in the Stellenbosch region.
British Lions 
France 
New Zealand 
South American Jaguars 
