Sir Steve Hansen: Springboks don’t need selection quotas anymore, players are earning their position

Jared Wright 22 Aug 2026 8:23 AM

Springboks players sing the South African national anthem and an inset of ex-All Blacks head coach Sir Steve Hansen.

Former All Blacks head coach Sir Steve Hansen believes that the Springboks no longer need quotas, with players earning their selections.

The South African government still enforces transformation targets on the Boks in the form of the National Development Plan, with SA Rugby currently working on its ‘Strategic Transformation Development Plan for 2030′.

The two plans aim to increase black and brown representation in their sports teams by the start of the next decade, with 60 per cent the key number the Boks have to get to.

An audit in 2024 revealed that the team fell short of that at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, despite Rassie Erasmus’ efforts to improve the representation in the squad during his time with the Springboks. Historically, the quotas were used to force the selectors to include players of colour and led to assumptions that players were being selected on colour, not just talent.

Sir Steve Hansen: Springboks don’t need quotas anymore

Despite this fact, Hansen believes that the transformation targets are no longer necessary as there isn’t a division in the Springboks and they have the backing of the public through their mantra of playing to unite South Africa.

“When you go there, you’ll feel it,” Hansen told DSPN with Martin Devlin in reference to the Boks playing for a greater cause.

“It’s been a country that has a history that they probably aren’t proud of when it comes to apartheid, but there are a lot of other things that they are proud of; they’re a very, very proud nation, and rugby brought them shoulder-to-shoulder.

“You can see there is no division in the rugby team. For a long time, they had selection quotas and stuff like that, but they don’t need that anymore.

“Now players are earning their position by right, and they’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Their fellow countrymen can see that when they go and watch the footy, and I think that’s what excites the country.”

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Winning is a habit

Looking ahead to the Springboks and All Blacks clash at Ellis Park, Hansen says that New Zealand will have a tough time beating South Africa, who have become accustomed to winning.

Erasmus’ men are currently on a 12-game winning streak and have won 17 of their last 20 Tests.

“Well, the old adage that success breeds success is true. You come to expect it, and you can be in a position where, on the scoreboard, you’re behind, but you don’t lose the confidence that we can get out of this and we can still win it,” Hansen explained.

“There have been a number of times that that’s happened even for us when I was coaching against South Africa, and Richie kicked the conversion in the 78th minute for us to win it – we were down by 17 points, I think.

“So that’s what success does; it just gives you that inner belief and strength to be able to fight through the tough moments because you expect to get through the tough moments. Sometimes you don’t, but most of the time you do because of that success.”