Famous South African Rugby Players

Joost van der Westhuizen was a South African rugby player. He took part in three Rugby World Cups, helping his national team win the 1995 World Cup. Widely regarded as the greatest scrumhalf in the history of the game, van der Westhuizen was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.

Francois Pienaar is a former rugby player who captained the South African national team from 1993 to 1996. He is best-known for helping his team win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In 2004, he was ranked 50th in a list named Top 100 Great South Africans. In 2005, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Victor Matfield is a South African former rugby union player who captained the national team as well as the Blue Bulls. Widely regarded as one of the greatest locks in the history of South African rugby, Matfield was extremely successful at disrupting opposition line-outs, a skill that helped his team win the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

South African rugby legend Joel Stransky is best known for scoring all points, including the famous drop goal, in the nail-biting 1995 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand that he led his country to win. He has also worked with the marketing departments of Altech Netstar and the Steinhoff Group.

François Steyn made history when he became the youngest player to score a Rugby World Cup win, with South Africa’s win over England in 2007. With the 2019 win, he became the first two-time World Cup-winner from his country. He was part of the 2008 Laureus World Team of the Year.

Schalk Burger was born to an international rugby player, also named Schalk Burger. As part of the South African national rugby team, he won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was declared the South African Rugby Player of the Year twice. He also works at his Western Cape wine estate.

Pieter-Steph du Toit, a popular lock for the South African national rugby team and was also part of the 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning team. The Stormers player almost had to have a leg amputated after suffering a serious injury in a game against the Auckland Blues in 2020.

Apart from the South African team, rugby player Damian de Allende also plays for the United Rugby team Munster. Part of the 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning team, he made more runs than any other Springbok player in the tournament. He was also signed by the Panasonic Wild Knights.

Rugby player John Smit has mostly been a hooker for the South African national team. He captained his team to their 2007 World Cup win in France. He has also been part of the Tri Nations winning team twice and is part of the IRB Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed Majaivane, meaning the “one who is always dancing,” South African rugby player Willie le Roux plays both for the national team and the club Toyota Verblitz. He has established himself as a dependable fullback/wing/fly-half and was part of the 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning team.

Os du Randt is a South African former rugby player who retired as the most-capped forward in the South African national team's history. One of the most successful players of his generation, Du Randt is one of 21 players who have won the World Cup twice or more. In 2019, he was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. 

A skilled scrum-half for the Worcester Warriors, South African rugby player Francois Hougaard is known for his ability to tackle defenses. His pace has often made him a good choice for the wing. He was also part of the bronze-winning South African team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Currently a member of the French rugby club Montpellier, South African hooker Bismarck du Plessis began his professional career at the age of nineteen with Free State Cheetahs. Debuting for the national team with Under-19 squad, he was later called to join the Springboks for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, making a total of eighty-four appearances for them till 2015.

Born to working-class parents, Lood de Jager began his youth rugby career with the likes of the Leopards and the Cheetahs. He then established himself as a dependable lock in the South African national team and the English Premiership club Sale Sharks. He is also known for his 6’9” frame.

South African rugby player Jannie du Plessis has played for teams such as the Golden Lions and the Free State Cheetahs. He has been part of the French rugby club Montpellier, too. Apart from being a sportsperson, he is also a qualified physician and has practiced as a doctor too.

Naas Botha is a South African former rugby player who represented the South African national team and the Northern Transvaal team. One of the most successful players of his generation, Botha was adjudged Rugby Player of the Year on four occasions during his playing career. He currently serves as the head coach of the Indian women's and men's rugby teams.

South African fly-half Morné Steyn is known for his association with the Bulls and his national team. He first gained attention with his penalty kick that defeated the British & Irish Lions in a 2009 Test match. With 62 points, he was the highest scorer in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Born to former rugby player Gysie Pienaar, South African scrum-half and fly-half has made quite a name for himself in the rugby scene. He is known for his stint with the Sharks. He is also a staunch Christian and has formed a Bible study group for South African rugby players.

JP Pietersen is a South African rugby player who represents the Sharks in the Currie Cup. He has also represented the South African national team, playing 69 tests for the team. He helped South Africa win their second Rugby World Cup in 2007. JP Pietersen was also selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup where South Africa reached the quarter-finals.

Apart from playing for the Springboks, South African rugby player Nick Mallett has also coached them and the Italian rugby team. He was part of the team that won four back-to-back Currie Cups. He has also coached the Paris club Stade Français but later rejected the offer of coaching Toulon.

Born to a footballer father, Trevor Nyakane initially wished to follow in his father’s footsteps but later chose rugby. He lost his mother to cancer at 15. Apart from the South African national rugby team, he also plays for the Bulls and the Cheetahs. He was mentored by Os du Randt.

Retired South African rugby player Ashwin Willemse, now a rugby analyst and a motivational speaker, grew up amid poverty and lived in a shack near Cape Town, with his mother and grandparents. A drug dealer and addict in his youth, he had even joined a criminal gang and had attempted suicide.

Legendary South African rugby player and coach Danie Craven, also known as Mr. Rugby, boasted of three doctorates and headed the physical education department of the University of Stellenbosch. He was often criticized for doing little to end the segregation in the apartheid-era rugby of South Africa.

Pierre Spies is a South African former rugby player who played for the South African national team from 2006 to 2013. He also represented the Bulls at Super Rugby where he spent the majority of his career. Renowned for his great strength, Spies was adjudged South Africa's Sportsman of the Year and Most Promising Player of the Year in 2008.

Rugby player Dawie de Villiers captained the Springboks, gaining fame as one of the world’s most influential scrumhalves and winning the iconic 1970 match against New Zealand. Following his retirement, he stepped into politics as a National Party member. He was also an ordained minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.

South African rugby player Tom van Vollenhoven is remembered for his stint with the English club St. Helens. Playing against the British Lions, he became the first Springbok to score a hat-trick on South African soil. He is revered as one of the greatest wingers of rugby league.

South African rugby player Corra Dirksen was once known as The Monster for his aggressive game. He was part of 10 Tests for the Springboks. Post-retirement, he became a practicing doctor. He contracted COVID-19 at age 82, while still working as a doctor, and eventually died of the disease.