If you have Canan Moodie in your Springbok side, chances are you are likely to win.
He is one of just two players in Springbok history to have a 100 percent win record while wearing the Green and Gold – 12 wins in 12 Test matches dating back to his debut in 2022.
The only other Bok player to compare is Hansie Brewis, who played his final Test as flyhalf over 70 years ago, signing off with a perfect 10 out of 10 wins.
Interestingly, current Bok Elrigh Louw, with 12 wins in 13 Tests, is equal third with Hennie Muller (92,3 percent).
The list is top heavy with players who represented South Africa in the amateur era with only Wayne Julies (10 wins/11 Tests) and Rudolf Straeuli (nine wins/10 Tests) of the modern era joining Moodie and Louw in the top 10.
Meanwhile, prolific Kurt-Lee Arendse, just 28, has an outstanding chance of reeling Danie Gerber in as the Bok player with the best try-scoring ratio in history.
Gerber, still regarded by many as the best centre to play for South Africa, scored 19 tries in 24 Tests (79,2 percent).
Arendse has scored one fewer in as many Tests (75 percent).
Makazole Mapimpi, who scores tries for fun, is next best – 32 tries in 46 internationals – followed by Ray Mordt (12 in 18), still the only Bok to have scored a hat-trick against the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Aphelele Fassi rates fifth best with his seven tries in 11 starts giving him a 63,6 percent ratio.
Unsurprisingly, Bryan Habana also cracks the top 10, having scored a remarkable 67 times in 124 Test matches. This is the most by a South African, a staggering 29 more than second-placed Joost van der Westhuizen.
Having recently overtaken Victor Matfield as South Africa’s most capped player, Eben Etzebeth will have to preserve his body to chase down Francois Steyn as the Springbok with the longest Test career, a staggering 15 years and 317 days, set between late 2006 and late 2022.
Matfield is sixth on this list, behind Matfield, Os du Randt, Jean de Villiers and Naas Botha, having enjoyed a Bok career that today sits at 12 years and 170 days.
Despite the abrasive nature of the 33-year-old’s game, he’s shown no signs of slowing down and the odds must be reasonably good of him reeling in another remarkable Springbok record before he’s done.
