The best Springbok fullbacks: Do you agree?
Part One of this week’s series of videos sees us look at five of the best fullbacks to don the number 15 Springbok jersey.
As the week progresses, we will look at the top five Springboks of all time in each position.
H.O. De Villiers (1967-1970) was regarded as a ground-breaking fullback who changed SA rugby as we use to know it in the sixties when he started the counter-attack. He made 14 appearances in the Green and Gold, scoring 26 points.
Gysie Pienaar (1980-1981), the father of Springbok Ruan Pienaar, made his Test debut as a replacement against a South American Jaguares team in Durban, before making his run-on debut against the touring British & Irish Lions. He went on to make 13 appearances and score 14 points.
Read more below the video…
Johan Heunis (1981-1989) made his test debut as a replacement for Gysie Pienaar during the 1981 tour of New Zealand at Eden Park. Heunis played 14 Test matches, scoring 41 points.
Andre Joubert (1989-1997) is known as the “Rolls Royce” of fullbacks for his pace and effortless style. He accumulated 34 Springbok caps and scored 115 points in the process. Most will remember his performance in the 1995 World Cup Final where he played with a broken hand.
Percy Montgomery (1997-2008) is the second World Cup winner on this list and the first Springbok to have reached 100 Test caps. Montgomery was the Springboks’ overall highest points scorer in World Cup tournaments until Handre Pollard surpassed him in the 2019 edition of the competition.
Do you agree? Has there been a more recent fullback who should be added to this list?
Source: Real Rugby
