Top 10 African Rugby Players of All Time

Brief Summary

• South Africa dominates African rugby history, with icons like Bryan Habana, Siya Kolisi, and Victor Matfield leading the Springboks to four Rugby World Cup titles.
• The list displays 10 of Africa’s greatest rugby players, celebrating their records, trophies, and legacies both on and off the field.
• From pioneers like Chester Williams to modern stars like Eben Etzebeth, these legends showcase Africa’s enduring impact on world rugby.

Deep Dive!!

Lagos, Nigeria—In Africa, rugby union has long been associated with South Africa, where the game has changed from being a symbol of division during the apartheid era to a unifying force in the democratic era that followed 1994.

With four Rugby World Cup victories (1995, 2007, 2019, and 2023), the Springboks, South Africa's national team, have dominated the international scene. Legendary players, who had an unwavering tactical spirit, are the foundation of this achievement.

The worldwide spotlight has overwhelmingly favoured South Africans because of their superior infrastructure and competitive leagues like the United Rugby Championship and Super Rugby, even though other African countries like Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya have produced outstanding players.

In this article, we count down the Top 10 African Rugby Players of All Time along with their accomplishments, legacies, and the moments that made them legendary.

10. Chester Williams (Wing)

Born on August 8, 1970, in Paarl, Chester Williams, standing at 1.74m, played for Western Province (1991–1998, 63 appearances) and Golden Lions (1999). He won the 1995 Rugby World Cup with the Springboks, where he was the only Black player on the team and scored four tries against Western Samoa in the quarter-final.

With the Golden Lions, he also won the Currie Cup in 1999 and the Tri-Nations (now the Rugby Championship) in 1998. In Super Rugby, he featured for the Cats (1999–2000, 18 matches, 35 points). On an international level, Williams debuted against Argentina, scoring 70 points in 14 tries and earning 27 caps from 1993 to 2000.

He played sevens for South Africa from 1993 to 2001 and made contributions to the 1998 Tri-Nations. He didn't receive any significant individual honours, but in 2004 and 2016, he carried the Olympic torch. Following his retirement, Williams coached SA Seven, Cats, Uganda, Pumas, Tunisia, and the University of the Western Cape. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 49 due to a heart attack and is remembered as a pioneer who broke down apartheid barriers.

9. Morné du Plessis (No. 8/Flanker)

Morné du Plessis was born in Vereeniging on October 21, 1949, and played flanker or No. 8 for Western Province from 1971 to 1980, captaining a record 103 games during that time. He was one of the most successful captains during apartheid's isolation, winning 22 caps for his country, scoring 12 points in just 3 tries and leading the team to an 86.66% win rate (13/15 wins).

Among his accomplishments are captaining 3-1 series wins over the 1976 All Blacks and 1980 British & Irish Lions, plus significant victories against France in 1975 and the South American Jaguars in 1980. He didn’t play in the 1995 Rugby World Cup win but was their manager.

His individual accolades include winning the Order of Ikhamanga (2007), being inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame (1999), and being nominated four times for SA Player of the Year (1976–1980). He co-founded the Sports Science Institute and the Chris Burger Fund for wounded athletes, and after retiring, he founded the MARC Group, acquired rugby stakes, and wrote "Rugby Without Risk." 

8. Eben Etzebeth (Lock)

Eben Etzebeth, standing at 2.04m, was born in Cape Town on October 29, 1991. Some describe Etzebeth as the most ruthless enforcer of all time, who broke Victor Matfield's cap record and led African rugby's top team to back-to-back World Cups, achieving the highest number of caps in South Africa’s history, making that a total of 136 caps since his international debut in 2012. He also scored 40 points in eight tries and won 62.5% of games.

He began playing for Western Province juniors in 2009, won the 2012 Currie Cup, and made his Super Rugby debut for the Stormers that year (61 matches, 20 points from 2012–2019). He also captained the Sharks to the 2024 Challenge Cup, the first European title won by a South African team, and won the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2021. He also won two Rugby World Cup victories (2019 and 2023), making him a double World Champion.

Eben Etzebeth received a nomination for IRB Player of the Year in 2013, became the youngest player in South Africa to attain 50 caps at the age of 24 in 2016, won the South African Rugby Player of the Year for two consecutive years and was captain in 2017.

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7. Os du Randt (Prop)

Jacobus Petrus "Os" du Randt, standing at 1.90m, was born in Elliot, Eastern Cape, on September 8, 1972. He is the first and only Springbok to win two Rugby World Cups with South Africa in 1995 and 2007. He made his provincial debut with the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup (1996–1997, 1999, 2002–2007). 

From 1994 to 2007, he scored 25 points (5 tries) and had a 65.63% victory rate while playing for his country, earning 80 caps over his 13-year career. He scored against formidable teams like the British & Irish Lions and New Zealand. Among his greatest accomplishments are his role as the hero of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, being inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2019, winning the Tri-Nations trophy in 2004, a Currie Cup title with the Free State Cheetahs in 2005, and being named the South Africa Rugby Player of the Year in 1997. 

He retired in 2007 as the most-capped forward at the time and went on to mentor future props.

6. Victor Matfield (Lock)

Victor Matfield, standing at 2.01m, was born in Pietersburg (now Polokwane) on 11 May 1977 and played for the Bulls with Bakkies Botha, winning three Currie Cups and three Super 14 championships in 2007, 2009, and 2010. Matfield has 127 Springbok caps between 2001 and 2015, and in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, he was named Man of the Match for his disruption.

He won the Tri-Nations in 2004/2009 and captained the 2008 shock victory over New Zealand. A round-up of his significant achievements includes winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup with the Springboks, three Super Rugby titles, two Tri-Nations titles, a British & Irish Lions series win, and three Currie Cup wins. 

Matfield consulted the Bulls in lineouts after retiring, and his 35 international goals demonstrate his tactical prowess, transforming second-row play and solidifying South Africa's supremacy in set pieces.

5. Siya Kolisi (Flanker)

Siya Kolisi, who was born in Zwide Township in 1991, was the first Black Springbok captain. He progressed through the ranks of the Stormers and Western Province before making his Springboks debut against Scotland in 2013, where he won the Man of the Match. He led the Springboks in a back-to-back Rugby World Cup victories in 2019 against England and in 2023 against New Zealand.

Kolisi is only the second captain, after Richie McCaw, to win consecutive Cups. He is the first Springboks captain to defeat the All Blacks in four straight games, in addition to winning five trophies, including the Rugby Championship. It is safe to name him one of the most decorated captains in South Africa.

In 2023, he was awarded the National Order of Ikhamanga. Kolisi is a shining example of inclusive African rugby because his leadership brought a diverse team together. He currently owns a foundation that helps impoverished youth.

4. John Smit (Hooker/Prop)

John Smit, who was born in 1978, made his Sharks debut in 1998 after making 125 Super Rugby appearances prior to stints at Clermont and Saracens. He is the most-capped Springbok captain, especially being a significant force in South Africa’s forward pack during their 2007 World Cup comeback.

A round-up of his achievements includes leading the Springboks to victory over the British & Irish Lions in 2009, being inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, and captaining South Africa to victories in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 and 2009 Tri-Nations. With 111 Test caps and 83 games as Springbok captain, he retired as the most-capped South African player and international captain, respectively.

Following retirement, he served as a trustee for the Chris Burger fund, which helps wounded athletes, after being inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. 

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3. François Pienaar (Flanker)

François Pienaar, who was born in Vereeniging in 1967, made his Transvaal provincial debut in 1989. He captained the Springboks to their World Cup victory in 1995, played 100 games and helped the team win the Super 10, Currie Cup, and Lion Cup in 1993–94. 

He led an underdog, ninth-ranked South Africa, past Australia, France, and New Zealand to the final at Ellis Park, earning all 29 of his international caps from 1993 to 1996 while serving as captain. 

In addition, Pienaar was named the International Player of the Year in 1994 and was later inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2005 and the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2011. Beyond the field in 1995, he was voted Newsmaker of the Year and helped negotiate the professionalisation of rugby through SANZAR accords.

2. Joost van der Westhuizen (Scrum-half)

Joost van der Westhuizen, who stood at 1.88m, was born on 20 February 1971 in Pretoria. He transformed the scrum-half position and scored a record 38 scrum-half tries (190 points overall) between 1993 and 2003 and made 22 non-Test appearances for his country, earning him 89 caps. 

Van der Westhuizen played in three World Cups, but his tackles on Jonah Lomu in the championship game in 1995 and in 1998 helped South Africa win its first Tri-Nations championship, and he captained the team ten times.

Overall, his accomplishments include his skill in the 1999 World Cup, where he captained the team to third place, and for setting South African records in Test caps (89) and tries (38) at the time of his 2003 retirement. He was inducted into the International and World Rugby Hall of Fame. He founded the Joost van der Westhuizen Foundation for MND research before passing away in 2017, despite receiving a tragic diagnosis of motor neurone disease in 2011.

1. Bryan Habana (Wing)

Bryan Habana, who was born in Johannesburg in 1983, made his debut with the Golden Lions and Blue Bulls before becoming a worldwide celebrity with the Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby. Habana won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was named World Rugby Player of the Year in the same year. He ranks second in the all-time list of test try-scorers with 67 tries and is tied with Jonah Lomu for the joint-highest amount of tries (15) at Rugby World Cups. In addition, Habana won the SA Rugby Player of the Year Award several times.

Among Habana's many achievements are three South African Player of the Year awards (2005, 2007, 2012), the 2007 IRB (now World Rugby) Player of the Year title, and his 2023 entrance into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. He exemplified the Springboks' attacking style when serving as vice captain in 2016, which helped South Africa win the Tri-Nations in 2009.