Christoffel Johannes van der Linde is a South African former professional rugby union player and currently the scrum coach at French Top 14 side Montpellier. He played first class rugby between 2002 and 2015 in South Africa, Ireland, England and France and also made 75 test matches for South Africa, which included winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup. His usual playing position was prop.
Daniel Johannes "Duane" Vermeulen is a former South African professional rugby union player who previously played for the South Africa national team. He also previously played for Ulster Rugby in the United Rugby Championship, Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Pumas, Free State Cheetahs and Western Province in South African domestic rugby, the Cheetahs, Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby and Toulon in the Top 14. He was an instrumental part of South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup and received the Man of the Match award in the final. Vermeulen played as a Number eight but he was equally adept at playing both blindside and openside flanker.
Heinke van der Merwe is a professional South African rugby union player. His first tour with the Springboks was to France, Italy, Ireland & England in late 2009 where he played in one test and two touring matches.
Jozua Francois Malherbe is a South African professional rugby union player. He plays as a tighthead prop for the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship and South Africa national team.
Willem Jacobus le Roux is a South African professional rugby union player. He is a versatile back-line player who generally plays as a fullback or wing, though earlier in his career he played mostly as a fly-half. He plays for the South Africa national team and for the Blue Bulls in the United Rugby Championship. He was born in Stellenbosch.
Franco van der Merwe is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is lock, although he can also operate as a flanker. Previous clubs include Irish side Ulster in the Pro12, London Irish in Premiership Rugby, the Lions in Super Rugby and the Leopards and the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup.
Marcel van der Merwe is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is prop. He represents London Irish in the English Premiership Rugby.
Damian de Allende is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. His usual position is either centre or wing. He was a member of the Springboks team that won a record-equalling third Rugby World Cup in 2019 and he was a member of the Springboks team that won a record-setting fourth Rugby World Cup in 2023. De Allende is a part of a few elite players to have won two world cup titles.
Cheslin Kolbe is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Tokyo Sungoliath in the Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team. His regular position is wing, but he also plays at fullback. He has also recently featured at fly half for Toulouse in the Top 14, and as a scrum half internationally. Kolbe was a member of the South Africa Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He has won the Rugby World Cup twice with South Africa, in 2019 and 2023. Kolbe was nominated for 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year but lost to teammate Pieter-Steph du Toit. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. He previously played for Toulouse, Toulon, Stormers, and Western Province. He has won the World Cup, Rugby Championship, and Lions Series with the Springboks, the Top14, and Champions Cup with Toulouse, the Currie Cup with Western Province, and the Challenge Cup with Toulon. He is one of the highest paid rugby players in the world, with a reported salary of between ¥130-155 million yen a season.
Jesse André Kriel is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Canon Eagles in the Japanese Top League and South Africa national rugby team. His regular playing position is as a utility back but can also play centre, wing or fullback. Kriel was part of the national team who won the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2023 Rugby World Cup, where he played in all the games of the latter.
Armand H P "Akker" van der Merwe is a South African professional rugby union player for South African United Rugby Championship side Bulls. His regular position is hooker.
The 2015 Rugby Championship was the fourth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Immanuel Libbok is a South African professional rugby union player. He plays internationally for the Springboks, as well as for the Stormers in United Rugby Championship and Western Province in the Currie Cup.
Mogamat Zain Davids is a South African rugby union player, that competes in both the 15-man and sevens variants of the game. He is currently contracted by the South African Rugby Union to play for the South Africa Sevens national team. His regular position is in the loose-forward position, but he also played as a centre at schoolboy level.
Duhan van der Merwe is a professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for United Rugby Championship club Edinburgh. Born in South Africa, he represents Scotland at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.
The 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour that took place in South Africa in July and August 2021. The British & Irish Lions, a team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played a three-match test series against South Africa, and tour matches against three of South Africa's four United Rugby Championship teams and South Africa A.
In June 2018, England played a three-test series against South Africa as part of the 2018 mid-year rugby union tests. The series was part of the sixth year of the global rugby calendar established by World Rugby, which runs through to 2019.
In June 2018, Wales played a two-test series against Argentina as part of the 2018 June rugby union tests. It was Wales's first test series against Argentina since their 2006 tour. Ahead of the test series, Wales played South Africa in a one-off test match in Washington, D.C.
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.
The Wales national rugby union team are scheduled to tour Australia in July 2024 as part of the 2024 Summer Internationals. The first test is to be played on 6 July at the new Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, New South Wales, with the second test to follow a week later at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria. A pre-tour match against South Africa on 22 June was announced in February 2024; the match will be played at Twickenham Stadium in London due to a clash with concerts by Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters at the Millennium Stadium either side of the match. After the two tests, Wales will also play a tour match against the Queensland Reds at Lang Park, Brisbane.
