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 Springbok, a native antelope and the national animal of South Africa. The team has represented South African Rugby Union in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. Currently, the Springboks are the reigning World Champions, having won the World Cup a record four times. South Africa are the only team to have won half of the Rugby World Cups they have participated in, and are also the second nation to win the World Cup consecutively.
Luke Asher Watson is a South African former rugby union footballer who can play at flank or eighthman. He has represented and captained the South African Schools rugby team (2001), South Africa's under-19 (2002) and under-21 (2004) teams, as well as the Springbok Sevens team (2001). Watson has also captained both the Western Province and the Super Rugby Stormers. He most recently played for the Eastern Province Kings.
Paarl Boys' High School, known in Afrikaans as Hoër Jongenskool Paarl, is a public dual-medium high school for boys and is one of the oldest schools in South Africa, built in 1868. The school is situated in Paarl, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The first headmaster of the school was George Jeffreys. Effective as of 2007, the headmaster of the school is Derek Swart.
Siyamthanda "Siya" Kolisi, is a South African professional rugby union player who currently captains the South Africa national team. Having formerly played for the Stormers and Racing 92, he currently plays for Sharks in the URC. He generally plays as a flanker and a loose forward. In 2018, Kolisi was appointed captain of the Springboks, becoming the first black man to hold the position and eventually leading the South African Rugby team to victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final against England, and again in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final against New Zealand.
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.
Pieter Stephanus du Toit is a South African professional rugby union player and two-time winner of World Rugby Player of the Year. Du Toit plays as a lock or a flanker for the South Africa national team and the Toyota Verblitz in Japan Rugby League One. After winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup with South Africa, he was awarded the 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year, an award he won for a second time in 2024. He was awarded man of the match in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand. Known for his stamina, tackling ability and high work rate, he is considered to be one of the greatest players of his generation.
Louis Schreuder is a South African rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Bath in Premiership Rugby.
Steven Kitshoff is a South African professional rugby player who currently plays for the Stormers. His playing position is loosehead prop. He represents the South Africa national team and has previously played for Bordeaux in the French Top 14 and Western Province in the Currie Cup. He joined Ulster for the 2023–24 season.
Eben Etzebeth is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and the South Africa national rugby team. He made his international debut for the Springboks in 2012 and has since won 130 caps, making him the Springboks' most capped player. His regular playing position is as a loosehead lock. He is widely regarded as one of the best locks in the history of the game.
Siviwe Sonwabile 'Shakes' Soyizwapi is a South African rugby union player, who is currently contracted by the South African Rugby Union to play for the South Africa Sevens national team. His usual position is fullback or winger.
Handré Pollard is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. His regular playing positions are fly-half, where he started for South Africa in their 2019 Rugby World Cup Final win, and inside-centre. He has previously played for the Bulls and Blue Bulls in his native South Africa, Osaka Red Hurricanes in Japan and Montpellier in France. He is one of 43 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions, 24 of whom are South Africans.
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 previously played for Toulouse, Toulon, Stormers, and Western Province. He has also won the Rugby Championship and the 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 per season.
Lukhanyo Am is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship. His regular positions are centre and wing.
Malcolm Justin Marx is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national rugby team and Kubota Spears in the Japan Rugby League One. His regular position is hooker, but he did play as a flanker at youth level for the Golden Lions. He is widely regarded as one of the best hookers in World Rugby.
Selvyn Davids is a South African rugby union player for the South African Sevens team. His regular position is centre or winger.
Wilco Mario Louw is a South African rugby union player for the Vodacom Bulls in the United Rugby Championship, formerly of Harlequins in Premiership Rugby. His regular position is tighthead prop.
Rudolph Gerhardus Snyman is a South African rugby union player who plays as a lock for Irish United Rugby Championship club Leinster and the South Africa national team. Snyman was part of the South Africa team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and 2023, and is widely known as 'The Viking' among fans and teammates in reference to his appearance.
Mogamat Zaïn 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.
Ruan Nortjé is a South African professional rugby union who currently plays for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship, Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is lock.
The Wales national rugby union team toured South Africa in July 2022 for a series of three test matches against the South Africa national team. It was the seventh time Wales had toured South Africa in test history. In each of the previous 10 matches contested between the two nations on South African soil – the first of which took place in 1964 – South Africa were the victors.
