South Africa has won four Rugby World Cups — 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2023 — and every one of those triumphs produced legends. But what happens when you compress nearly three decades of world dominance into one ruthless, no-filler 30-man squad? This isn’t a fan-favourite poll. It’s not about vibes or potential. This is about who delivered, when it mattered most, on the biggest stage in world rugby.
No “should’ve been there” selections. Only World Cup winners. Only World Cup warriors. Only those who bled, bruised, and lifted the trophy. Let’s dive in.
🧱 The Starting XV – Built From Glory
Front Row Royalty
- 1. Os du Randt – The only Springbok to win the Webb Ellis Cup twelve years apart. From 1995’s raw power to 2007’s experience and poise, “Os” is non-negotiable.
- 2. John Smit (co-captain) – Calm, commanding, and composed. Led the 2007 pack with clarity and cohesion. He and Siya could charm the referee and Richie McCaw would not know what to do.
- 3. Frans Malherbe – Anchored the scrum in 2019 and 2023. Quietly dominant and technically superb.
Lock It Down
- 4. Eben Etzebeth – The modern-day enforcer. Massive in both recent campaigns. A toss-up between him and the great Bakkies Botha…
- 5. Victor Matfield – A lineout professor. Dictated tempo and territory in 2007 like a conductor with a baton.
Loose Trio of Doom
- 6. Siya Kolisi (co-captain) – Captain, symbol, warrior. His influence off the ball matched his tackles on it. Almost supernaturally totemic. Schalk Burger could be swapped in from the bench and no one would bat an eye lid.
- 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year and 2023 final Man-Of-The-Match. Relentless. PTSD, as Jordie Barrett calls him.
- 8. Duane Vermeulen – Beast mode. 2019 final man-of-the-match and still smashing bodies four years later. The greatest eighth-man in Springbok history.
Halfback Brains
- 9. Fourie du Preez – The most composed Bok scrumhalf of all time. Tactically elite in 2007. Controversially selected to start ahead of the mystical Joost van der Westhuizen. Hard words and harder hands almost crossed tables inside the office on this decision…
- 10. Handré Pollard – Mr Ice Cold. 2019 and 2023 were won on his boot and nerve.
Midfield Muscle & Magic
- 12. Damian de Allende – Crash-ball machine and defensive glue in 2019 and 2023.
- 13. Jaque Fourie – Balanced, powerful and brutally efficient. Helped unlock the 2007 midfield puzzle.
Back-Three Brilliance
- 11. Bryan Habana – 2007 flyer. Tied for most RWC tries ever. No argument here.
- 14. Cheslin Kolbe – 2019 finisher, 2023 fighter. That step on Farrell is the stuff of rugby religion.
- 15. Percy Montgomery – 2007’s top points scorer. Calm, clutch, and seriously underrated.
💣 The Impact Bench – Game Breakers and Bench Bombs
- 16. Malcolm Marx – A breakdown predator and set-piece powerhouse.
- 17. Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira – England’s worst nightmare in the 2019 final.
- 18. CJ van der Linde – Held the fort in 2007 with old-school tighthead muscle.
- 19. Bakkies Botha – Brought menace to the Matfield partnership. He is only on the bench because of having one less gold medal than the legendary Eben Etzebeth.
- 20. RG Snyman – Super sub, super impact. 2023 was his playground.
- 21. Schalk Burger – 2007 motor man. Ran like a flanker possessed. Interchangeable with Siya Kolisi.
- 22. Joost van der Westhuizen. Iconic. Brave. Brilliant. Set the tempo in the ’95 final. Ironic that the greatest scrumhalf of all time starts from the bench… a controversial decision. It would be controversial to start Fourie du Preez here too, so…
- 23. Willie le Roux – The system’s brain behind the spark. Solid in 2019 despite inconsistency in the group stages. Organised the “wider” defence incredibly well alongside Lukhanyo Am. Savvier in 2023, which showed why he is a deserving Test centurion-to-be.
🕰️ Standby Seven – The Trusted Depth
- 24. Steven Kitshoff. Anchored the scrum as both starter and finisher. A modern-day front-row titan and Bomb Squad original. Excellent on both sides of the ball.
- 25. Bongi Mbonambi. Started both the 2019 and 2023 finals. A ferocious scrummager, accurate lineout thrower, and reliable core of the Bok forward pack.
- 26. Kwagga Smith – High tempo, high pressure. Influenced the 2023 quarterfinal and final with a honey badger mentality in the tackle fight and on the ground against a defiant All Blacks team.
- 27. Faf de Klerk. Box kick disruptor. Defensive pest. Unmistakable in appearance and approach. Springbok fans learnt to love him, willingly AND unwillingly.
- 28. Joel Stransky. Drop-goal that won a nation’s heart. If Handre Pollard is unavailable, he starts. Because, of course, he starts!
- 29. André Joubert – Played the 1995 final with a broken hand and still danced through tackles. Would the Springboks have beaten France at Kings Park in the Great Monsoon Of Durban in a semifinal that still causes us irregular heartbeats was it not for Jouba’s defensive efforts at the back?
- 30. Makazole Mapimpi. Lukhanyo Am. Jesse Kriel. They could have been here. However, the history-making D-Rex gets this final spot.
🫡 Honourable Mentions – Heroes Just Outside the 30
Not everyone who mattered made the final cut – but that doesn’t mean they didn’t define Springbok rugby when it mattered most. These men were either symbols, quiet engines, or the unsung glue of historic World Cup triumphs.
🔰 From 1995 – The Originals Who Carried a Nation
- Chris Rossouw – The enforcer nobody talks about. Did the dirty work, tackled like a tank, and gave Os du Randt breathing room to shine.
- Reuben Kruger – The silent assassin of the back row. Vital in both semi and final. Courageous, disciplined, and almost always overlooked — until you watch the replays.
- Kobus Wiese – Hardman of the tight five. Towered in the 1995 engine room and kept the Bok scrum intact in trench warfare.
- Francois Pienaar – The man who wore Mandela’s hand on his shoulder. His leadership went beyond rugby. Tactically sharp, morally unwavering, and a symbol of national healing. He may not make the playing XV here, but he captains the conscience of this squad.
- Mark Andrews – Lineout beast turned No. 8. Sacrificed personal glory for team needs by shifting positions. That’s legacy.
- Pieter Hendriks – Scorer of THAT try vs Australia. The spark in the 1995 opener that made a nation believe. Controversy followed, but his impact was already made.
- Hennie le Roux – Tactician in a flyhalf-centre utility role. Guided the Boks through a tricky campaign with calm decision-making and intelligent kicking.
- Chester Williams – The people’s player. Called up late. Delivered early. Four tries in the quarterfinal. A symbol of unity and brilliance.
🦏 From 2007 – The Grit Behind the Glory
- Juan Smith – Machine in a jersey. Unyielding in contact, tireless in defence. A rock on the blindside and unlucky to miss the final 30.
- Jannie du Plessis – 2007 stalwart who brought grunt and depth to the tighthead position.
- Wikus van Heerden – Tackled everything in sight. Featured more off the bench, but brought chaos and effort every time he wore green. Deputised excellently for Burger following his bullshit ban earlier in the tournament.
- Butch James – Defensive general at 10. Absorbed pressure, held the line, and let the backline breathe. Tough as nails.
- Frans Steyn – The 19-year-old wildcard. Covered 10, 12, 15, and kicked bombs from the parking lot. 2007 was just the beginning of a legendary Bok journey.
- Danie Rossouw – Versatile No.8/lock/flank. Scored in the semifinal rout of Argentina, and made the try-saving tackle on Mark Cueto in the final that nearly changed history. A proper workhorse who gave everything to a glorious cause.
Food For Thought 🍽️🤔 (SALADS DON’T WIN SCRUMS)
📌 Omitting these names from the top 30 doesn’t lessen their impact – it magnifies it. Because they remind us that rugby isn’t just about selections. It’s about sacrifice, unity, and unseen moments that shift the course of history. For instance… Trevor Nyakane – a versatile front-rower with heart and humour who played key pool-stage roles in 2019. Or Balie Swart (not Adrian Garvey – askies) – the 1995 tighthead who held the pack together through the storm. Ox Nche’s scrummaging dragged the Boks out of the mouth of certain defeat against England at the Stade de France in the most clutch performance by a replacement loosehead prop in the history of knockout rugby. Build Retshegofaditswe a statue of himself in Bloemfontein, Free State!
Francois Pienaar didn’t make this squad, and we will spend the rest of our lives trying (and failing) to forgive ourselves for making this decision. Without him, there may never have been one to choose from. Lukhanyo Am was magnificent at the 2019 edition in Japan, and technically, should/could have scored the try that he instead assisted Mapimpi with, for the latter’s place in immortality. Jesse Kriel stepped up monumentally when Am was injured in France in 2023, and was the best outside centre of the tournament.
💭 Final Thoughts
You could argue for whoever you feel must replace whoever in the squad we have combined, and we encourage diversity in thought. But none of them outperformed these 30 on the days it mattered most. This is the most accurate Springbok World Cup-winning squad ever assembled. No sentiment. No speculation. Just 30 men who brought the trophy home.
Four World Cups. One green machine. Let the bar talk begin.
