Springbok caps and records: who has played, scored and won the most
Caps are the simplest way to measure a rugby career, and they drive two of Bokdle's tiles: Caps directly, and Debut indirectly. This guide explains what counts as a cap, how Springbok numbers work, who holds the big records, and how to use the Caps tile.
All the numbers here come from Bokdle's own player data, which is updated from Wikipedia. Records change as current players add Tests, so a figure may be a few Tests behind the latest match.
What is a cap?
A cap is one appearance in a Test match: a full international between two national teams. The name goes back to the 19th century, when players were given an actual cap for playing for their country.
A few things that often confuse people:
- Coming off the bench counts. A player who comes on as a replacement wins a cap, even for a few minutes. A player who is named on the bench but never gets on doesn't.
- Tour matches don't count. Until the 1990s, the Springboks played many games on tour against clubs, provinces and invitation sides. Those weren't Tests, so they don't add caps, even though they were played in the green and gold.
- Only Springbok Tests count. Games for the British and Irish Lions, the Barbarians or a World XV aren't Springbok caps.
Because tours used to include only a few Tests, players from early eras have far fewer caps than modern players, even after long careers. Today the Springboks play twelve to fifteen Tests in a normal year, so a player who stays fit and in form for ten years can pass 100.
Springbok numbers
Every player in Bokdle's data has a Springbok number, which runs roughly in the order players first represented the Springboks, starting in 1891. Francois Pienaar is number 584, John Smit is 691, Eben Etzebeth is 833 and Siya Kolisi is 851. The numbers have now passed 950.
For players, the number is a source of real pride: it's the one fact about a Springbok that can never change. Bokdle's answer profiles show it in each player's Test record.
The most capped Springboks
Eleven Springboks have won 100 or more Test caps:
| Player | Position | Caps | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eben Etzebeth | Lock | 147 | 2012 |
| Victor Matfield | Lock | 127 | 2001 |
| Bryan Habana | Wing | 124 | 2004 |
| Tendai Mtawarira | Prop | 117 | 2008 |
| John Smit | Hooker | 111 | 2000 |
| Jean de Villiers | Centre | 109 | 2002 |
| Siya Kolisi | Flanker | 107 | 2013 |
| Damian de Allende | Centre | 103 | 2014 |
| Percy Montgomery | Fullback | 102 | 1997 |
| Pieter-Steph du Toit | Flanker | 102 | 2013 |
| Willie le Roux | Fullback | 101 | 2013 |
Notice how many debuted in 2012 to 2014: that group was at its peak for both the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. Jesse Kriel, with 94 caps, is the next in line. You can read about him on his archive page.
Locks dominate the top of the list. A lock's career can be long because the role relies on size, lineout skill and work rate, and both Matfield and Etzebeth played well into their thirties.
The try record
Bryan Habana has scored 67 Test tries, by far the most for South Africa and one of the highest totals in Test history. Next on the list:
| Player | Position | Tries |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Habana | Wing | 67 |
| Joost van der Westhuizen | Scrum-half | 38 |
| Makazole Mapimpi | Wing | 33 |
| Jaque Fourie | Centre | 32 |
| Malcolm Marx | Hooker | 28 |
Two of these are a surprise. Joost van der Westhuizen was a scrum-half, and his sniping breaks around the fringes of rucks made him one of the most dangerous attackers of the 1990s. Malcolm Marx is a hooker, and most of his tries come from driving mauls after lineouts, a Springbok speciality. Makazole Mapimpi scored South Africa's first-ever try in a World Cup final, in 2019.
The points record
Points records belong to the goal kickers:
- Percy Montgomery: 893 points, the Springbok record
- Handré Pollard: 844 points, and still adding to them (archive page)
- Morné Steyn: 742 points
Pollard is close enough to pass Montgomery, which would make him the Springboks' all-time leading points scorer.
Captains and World Cup winners
Bokdle's result screen also shows whether a player captained the Springboks and how many World Cups they won. A few players have two winner's medals: Os du Randt (1995 and 2007), Frans Steyn (2007 and 2019), and a group from the 2019 and 2023 sides, including Etzebeth and Kolisi. The World Cup guide tells the story of each title.
Using caps in Bokdle
- Caps is a tie-breaker within an era. Two loose forwards from the same years can be 30 caps apart. Green is within 3 caps, and gold within 10.
- Very high numbers are rare. Only eleven players have 100 or more. If the arrow points up from a 90-cap guess, the list of candidates is short.
- Lower numbers are common. Many Springboks win only a few dozen caps. Don't assume the answer is a household name.
For the rest of the tiles, read How to solve Bokdle.