As the gold standard of South African rugby, just seven individuals have played 100 Tests for the Springboks.
Point machines, record try scorers, and skippers are among the Springboks with 100 caps or more.
In 1997, Montgomery made his Springbok debut at Kings Park against the British and Irish Lions. He went on to play for his nation for more than ten years, winning the Rugby World Cup in 2007.
Had he not played for Newport for a while in Wales, he might have been awarded more caps for the Springboks. Due to playing abroad and serving an 18-month penalty for pushing a touch judge, he was unable to participate in the 2003 World Cup. Nevertheless, Montgomery became the first Springbok to reach 100 Test caps.
On August 30, 2008, Montgomery declared his retirement from rugby international competition following the Springboks’ 53-8 victory over Australia in the last Test of the 2008 Tri-Nations.
With 893 points, he is the all-time top scorer for the Springboks.With the Blitzboks, De Villiers gained recognition on the international scene by contributing significantly to teams that placed second in the IRB World Sevens Series in 2001–02 and won bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
As a member of the Junior Springboks team that took home the IRB U21 World Championship in 2002, he made an impression. In November of the same year, he was rewarded with his maiden senior Springbok cap against France for his exceptional tournament, which featured four tries.
His career was marred by injuries, raising questions about how many caps he could have racked up if he had been more fortunate in the department.
He is the only member of the 100-club who has never been the Rugby World Cup winner because he was injured during the winning campaign in 2007.
In a pool match for the Rugby World Cup, De Villiers faced Samoa in Birmingham on September 26 for his 109th and final test. He would withdraw from the tournament after suffering a fracture to his jaw during the actual competition.
In 37 Test matches, he led the Springboks as captain.
ICON AND LEGENDS
Smit not only owns the record for the most matches as the Green and Gold’s captain, but he is also the fifth-most-capped Springbok in history.
In 2007, he guided the Springboks to victory in the Rugby World Cup, and in 2009, he led South Africa to win over the British and Irish Lions.
Smit joined the Springbok squad in 2000 and played with them until his retirement in 2011. He made his debut against Canada in 2000.
Between 2003 and 2007, he participated in a record-tying 46 consecutive Test matches.
Jake White gave Smit the captaincy for life when he was named the new Springboks coach in the beginning of 2004. In 83 Tests, Smit would lead the team as captain.
He announced his retirement following the contentious 2011 Rugby World Cup elimination of the Springboks.
As the most experienced front-row forward with 117 caps for the Springboks, Mtawarira was on the field for the team’s Webb Ellis Trophy victory in Yokohama in 2019.
Despite only scoring two tries during his career, he more than made up for it with his efforts in the scrums and as a ball handler.
On June 14, 2008, Mtawarira made his Springboks debut against Wales.
Against the British and Irish Lions in the 2009 series, he made a name for himself on the global scene. In the opening Test match, Mtawarira outplayed his more seasoned opponent, Phil Vickery, who was replaced after 45 minutes, and Beast was named man of the match.
With 160 caps, all of which were played in the Sharks’ colors, Mtawarira also owns the record for the most Super Rugby appearances by a South African player.
CURRENT MOST-CAPPED SPRINGBOKS’ STAR
The only player still playing who has a century of Springbok caps is Eben Etzebeth.
In 2022, Etzebeth participated in his 100th Test match for the Springboks against Wales, finishing the campaign with 110 caps.
The tall lock participated in his 119th Test match during the Rugby World Cup 2023 final.
SECOND-MOST CAPPED SPRINGBOK
Habana, the all-time top try-scorer for the Springboks, finished his career with 67 tries from 124 Test appearances, maintaining an incredible strike rate.
Habana, the 2007 IRB Player of the Year, is thought to be among the game’s most deadly wingers ever. Despite never having attempted a goal, he is fourth on the all-time points scoring list for the Springboks.
Habana tied the record held by the late great Jonah Lomu for the most tries in a single Rugby World Cup competition in 2007.
During a trip of Europe in November, Habana made his debut for the Springboks, making his début against England at Twickenham. In 2016, following another November international series, he hung up his boots.
THE BIG DOG
Matfield, who is regarded as the best second-row forward in history, had a successful and extended collaboration with Bakkies Botha, the enforcer for the Springboks.
In 2001, Matfield made his Springbok Test debut against the Italy touring team, and he quickly became a mainstay.
Under Jake White’s direction, the 2004 Springboks comeback was made possible by his lineout skills.
His outstanding work in the lineout helped the 2007 RWC campaign to great success, and he was named Man of the Match in the final match against England.
In addition, Matfield led the Springboks and played a key role in two of South Africa’s three Tri-Nations championship victories in 2004 and 2009.
Argentina in the 2015 Rugby World Cup third-place playoff was his last game for the Springboks.
