Most capped Springboks of all-time: Willie le Roux joins an illustrious list of legends led by Eben Etzebeth
Springboks greats Eben Etzebeth and Willie Le Roux.
Willie le Roux has become the latest player to notch up 100 Test caps for the Springboks, joining seven other players who have hit the milestone.
Le Roux celebrated the occasion by helping South Africa to a comprehensive 48-0 victory over Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
He follows in the footsteps of fellow double Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks star Eben Etzebeth, who on 28 September, 2024 broke Victor Matfield’s record of 127 caps.
Matfield held the honour of the most capped Springboks player of all-time after earning his 127th and final cap for his country in the Bronze final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but has since been comfortably surpassed by his former teammate Etzebeth.
Most-capped Springboks
A physical beast, Etzebeth has been a mainstay in South African colours since he ran out for the first time in 2012 and has been a prolific winner, claiming two World Cups (2019, 2023) in the process.
The legendary Springboks lock now looks on track to become the first player to feature 150 times for South Africa and would follow the likes of Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) and Sam Whitelock (New Zealand) in reaching that milestone.
Centurions
Meanwhile, Le Roux follows in the footsteps of former full-back Percy Montgomery, who was the first Springbok to pass the century mark. His milestone match in Gqeberha also saw Le Roux overtake Montgomery for most starts in the number 15 jersey for South Africa.
Further up the list is a pair of captains in the form of Jean de Villiers (109) and John Smit (111), the latter still holds the record for most appearances as skipper with a whopping 83 – a tally Siya Kolisi is chasing, having led his country on over 60 occasions.
The only other centurion was one who went out with a bang, Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, whose last act as a Springbok was hoisting the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
South Africa’s all-time leading try scorer ranks third overall on the list with Bryan Habana crossing for 67 tries in his 124 appearances in the Green and Gold jersey, is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers ever.
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Future centurion
While the likes of Siya Kolisi (92), Damian de Allende (88), and Pieter-Steph du Toit (87) are on track to raise the bat, it’s likely that Le Roux will be the only player to celebrate the milestone in 2025.
This is considering how often current head coach Rassie Erasmus has rotated his squad in recent times and the emphasis placed on allowing players to celebrate these special occasions on home soil.
Handre Pollard (81), Jesse Kriel (80), Franco Mostert (79), Malcolm Marx (78) and Bongi Mbonambi (78) also look on track to reach 100 caps.
Springboks’ all-time leading appearances
Updated on 16/07/2025
(Name, caps)
* – Active player
Eben Etzebeth* – 132
Victor Matfield – 127
Bryan Habana – 124
Tendai Mtawarira – 117
John Smit – 111
Jean de Villiers – 109
Percy Montgomery – 102
Willie le Roux* – 100
Siya Kolisi* – 92
Joost van der Westhuizen – 89
Ruan Pienaar – 88
Damian de Allende* – 88
Pieter-Steph du Toit*- 87
Schalk (jnr) Burger – 86
Bakkies Botha – 85
Steven Kitshoff – 83
Handré Pollard* – 81
Jesse Kriel* – 80
Os du Randt – 80
Bismarck du Plessis – 79
Franco Mostert* – 79
Francois Steyn – 78
Malcolm Marx* – 78
Bongi Mbonambi* – 78
Mark Andrews – 77
Fourie du Preez – 76
Francois Louw – 76
Duane Vermeulen – 76
Frans Malherbe* – 76
CJ van der Linde – 75
Jaque Fourie – 72
JP Pietersen – 70
Juan Smith – 70
Jannie du Plessis – 70
Morné Steyn – 68
Trevor Nyakane* – 68
André Venter – 66
Adriaan Strauss – 66
Lood de Jager* – 66
Breyton Paulse – 64
Danie Rossouw – 63
Vincent Koch* – 62
Faf de Klerk* – 59
Pat Lambie – 56
Ollie le Roux – 54
Pierre Spies – 53
Gürthro Steenkamp – 53
Joe van Niekerk – 52
Albert van den Berg – 51
READ MORE: The Springboks’ all-time leading try scorers list
