Every player to captain the South Africa national rugby union team (Springboks)

South Africa national rugby union team

The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

in a test match are listed here. Captains are listed in chronological order of their first match as captain.

Male

So far there has been 52 captains of the male Springbok team, with H.H. Castens

Herbert Hayton Castens

Herbert Hayton Castens was a South African rugby union footballer, and cricketer. He was South Africa's first ever rugby and cricket captain. Castens played an important role in the development of rugby and cricket in South Africa, both on and off the pitch. He was usually known as H.H...

 captaining South Africa on July 30th 1891 in their first ever test against the touring British Isles team at Crusaders Cricket Ground in Port Elizabeth. John Smit

John Smit

John William Smit is the 50th and current captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He has played most of his career as a hooker, but played twice for the Springboks off the bench as a prop prior to the South Africa coaching staff's decision to use him as a tighthead...

 is the incumbent Springbok and World Cup winning captain and also holds the record of the most capped captain in international rugby history, but Johann Muller

Johann Muller (rugby player)

Gysbert Johannes Muller, more commonly known as Johann Muller , is a South African Rugby Union player...

 was the last player to be appointed as captain.

_	Player	Years as Captain
1	Herbert Castens Herbert Hayton Castens Herbert Hayton Castens was a South African rugby union footballer, and cricketer. He was South Africa's first ever rugby and cricket captain. Castens played an important role in the development of rugby and cricket in South Africa, both on and off the pitch. He was usually known as H.H...	1891
2	Bob Snedden Bob Snedden Robert Campbell Ditchburn Snedden was a Scottish-born South African rugby union footballer. Snedden played only one Test for South Africa, in which he was captain, in 1891...	1891
3	Alf Richards	1891
4	Ferdie Aston Ferdie Aston Fitzmaurice "Ferdie" Thomas Drake Aston was an English-born South African rugby union player. He was capped four times for South Africa, captaining them in three Tests....	1896
5	Fairy Heatlie Fairy Heatlie Barry "Fairy" Heatlie was a rugby union player, representing both South Africa and Argentina. He was the fifth captain of the South African rugby union team and is attributed as the man who gave the Springboks their famous green jersey.His contributions to the early development of South African...	1896-1903
6	Alex Frew Alex Frew Alex Frew was a rugby union forward who played three tests for Scotland and one test for South Africa, captaining them on that one occasion. His club was Edinburgh University RFC-References:...	1903
7	Jackie Powell Jackie Powell John "Jackie" Powell was a rugby union player who represented South Africa 4 times, once as captain. At 19 years 260 days, he is one of the youngest ever players to have represented South Africa. He also played first-class cricket for Griqualand West....	1903
8	Paddy Carolin Paddy Carolin Harold "Paddy" Carolin was a rugby union player who represented South Africa 3 times, once as captain. He was the first player to captain the South Africa national rugby union team abroad after Paul Roos had to withdraw....	1906
9	Paul Roos Paul Roos (rugby player) Paul Johannes Roos was one of the first South African Springbok rugby union captains and led the first South African rugby team to tour overseas – to Britain in 1906...	1906
10	Dougie Morkel Dougie Morkel Douglas 'Dougie' Morkal was a South African international rugby union player. He was one of Paul Roos 1906 touring Springboks.-References:**...	1910 & 1913
11	Billy Millar	1910 - 1913
12	Uncle Dobbin Uncle Dobbin Frederick James Dobbin universally known as Uncle Dobbin was a South African rugby union player who represented South Africa on nine occasions...	1912
13	Boy Morkel	1921
14	PK Albertyn	1924
15	Phil Mostert	1928
16	Bennie Osler Bennie Osler Benjamin Louwrens Osler was a rugby union footballer who played internationally for South Africa. Osler played mainly at fly-half for both South Africa, and his provincial team of Western Province....	1931 - 1933
17	Phil Nel	1933 - 1937
18	Danie Craven Danie Craven Daniël Hartman Craven , more famously known as Danie Craven or simply Doc Craven, is a former Western Province, Eastern Province, Northern Transvaal and Springbok rugby union player as well as arguably South Africa's best and best-known rugby administrator...	1937 - 1938
19	Felix du Plessis	1949
20	Basil Kenyon	1949
21	Hennie Muller Hennie Muller Hendrik "Hennie" Scholtz Vosloo Muller was a South African rugby union footballer. Born in Witbank, Muller is considered one of the greatest South African footballers, captaining the national side, the Springboks in nine tests, and is a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame...	1951 - 1953
22	Stephen Fry	1955
23	Basie Viviers	1956
24	Salty du Rand Salty du Rand Jacobus Abraham Du Rand is a former South African rugby union footballer. He played numerous times for South Africa, including on their 1951-52 Grand Slam tour of Europe, as well as captaining them once against the All Blacks.He made his debut for the Springboks in 1949 in a Test against the All...	1956
25	Johan Claassen	1958 & 1961 - 1962
26	Des van Jaarsveldt	1960
27	Roy Dryburgh	1960
28	Avril Malan	1960- 1961, 1963 & 1965
29	Abie Malan	1963-1964
30	Nelie Smith	1964-1965
31	Dawie de Villiers	1965 - 1970
32	Tommy Bedford Tommy Bedford Thomas Pleydell 'Tommy' Bedford is a South African rugby union player who has represented the national team, the Springboks, 25 times, captaining the Springboks on 3 occasions.-Career:...	1969
33	Hannes Marais Hannes Marais Johannes Frederick Klopper "Hannes" Marais is a former South African rugby captain. He was capped 35 times, scoring one try.-Personal history:...	1971 - 1974
34	Piet Greyling	1972
35	Morné du Plessis Morne du Plessis Morne du Plessis is a former South African rugby union player. He is often described as one of the Springboks' most successful captains. Playing at number 8, his national career spanned ten years, five of which he was captain...	1975 - 1980
36	Theunis Stofberg	1980, 1981 & 1984
37	Wynand Claassen	1981-1982
38	Divan Serfontein	1984
39	Naas Botha	1986 & 1992
40	Jannie Breedt	1989
41	Francois Pienaar Francois Pienaar Jacobus Francois Pienaar is a South African former rugby union player. He played flanker for South Africa from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 international caps, all of them as captain. He is best known for leading South Africa to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup...	1993- 1996
42	Tiaan Strauss Tiaan Strauss Christian Petrus Strauss, commonly known as Tiaan Strauss was a rugby footballer who represented both South Africa and Australia at International level in rugby union and also played top-level domestic rugby league in Australia.He won 15 caps for the Springboks between 1992 and 1994, scoring 4...	1994
43	Adriaan Richter Adriaan Richter Adriaanus Hendrikus Richter, better known as Adriaan Richter , is a former South African rugby union player who played for the South Africa national rugby union team between 1992 and 1995....	1995
44	Gary Teichmann Gary Teichmann Gary Hamilton Teichmann is a retired Rhodesian/Zimbabwean-born South African rugby union player. He played number eight and was the captain of the South African national team, the Springboks, between 1995 and 1999...	1996 - 1999
45	Corné Krige Corné Krige Cornelius Petrus Johannes "Corné" Krige was a South African rugby union footballer, now retired, who played flanker for Western Province in the Currie Cup, the Stormers in Super Rugby and captained the South African national side, the Springboks.-Career:Corne Krige was Zambian-born and his parents...	1999 & 2002 - 2003
46	Rassie Erasmus Rassie Erasmus Rassie Erasmus is the current coach of the Stormers rugby franchise in South Africa. Erasmus played mainly as a flanker for the Springboks at international level, for the Free State Cheetahs and the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup, and for the Cats in the Super 12...	1999
47	Joost van der Westhuizen Joost van der Westhuizen Joost van der Westhuizen is a former South African rugby union footballer who was the Springboks' first choice scrum-half in the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s. He was capped 89 times for the Springboks and scored 38 tries...	1999 & 2003
48	André Vos André Vos André Neal Vos is a former South African rugby union player who played as back row for Eastern Province , Queensland Reds , The Cats , The Lions and Harlequins until his retirement in 2007.He also captained the Springboks.André Vos graduated from Selborne College in East London, South Africa in...	1999 - 2001
49	Bobby Skinstad Bobby Skinstad Robert Brian Skinstad is a Zimbabwean-born South African rugby union player who has represented the national team, the Springboks, 42 times, scoring 55 points . He played in the positions of flanker and number eight...	2001 - 2002 & 2007
50	John Smit John Smit John William Smit is the 50th and current captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He has played most of his career as a hooker, but played twice for the Springboks off the bench as a prop prior to the South Africa coaching staff's decision to use him as a tighthead...	2003 - Present
51	Victor Matfield Victor Matfield Victor Matfield is a South African rugby union player. He has played for, and captained the Springbok rugby team as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in the Super 14...	2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010
52	Johann Muller Johann Muller (rugby player) Gysbert Johannes Muller, more commonly known as Johann Muller , is a South African Rugby Union player...	2007

Female

The South Africa women's national rugby union team

South Africa women's national rugby union team

The South Africa women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of South Africa, representing them at rugby union. The side first played in 2004.-Squad:Squad for 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup-Results summary:...

, also called the Springboks, first played internationally in 2004, with a two match series against Wales held in South Africa. The first match was played at Adcock Stadium, Port Elizabeth on 29 May 2004, and resulted in a 5–8 loss.

_	Player	Years as Captain
1	Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe Nomsebenzi Agnes "Noms" Tsotsobe is a South African rugby union player and model. Tsotsobe was born in Kwa Magxaki, Port Elizabeth, and has played for and captained the South Africa women's national rugby union team, the Springboks, since their founding in 2004.-Modelling:Tsotsobe made her debut...	2004 – 2010(?)
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