South Africa mark their return to Eden Park in Round Two of the 2025 Rugby Championship, tackling the All Blacks at their fortress for the first time since 2013.
12 years ago, Heyneke Meyer’s charges fell to a 29-15 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a highly controversial match, which saw Springboks hooker Bismarck du Plessis sent off after two yellow cards.
The first of which was for a hefty tackle on All Blacks playmaker Dan Carter, a yellow card that is still seen as controversial today. He was given his marching orders soon after, as he was deemed to raise his elbow in a ball carry while being tackled by flanker Liam Messam.
Ahead of the Springboks’ first visit to Eden Park in over a decade, with the aim of ending the All Blacks’ 50-game unbeaten run at the venue, we take a look at where the players who last featured at the stadium in the Green and Gold jersey are now.
The backs
15 Zane Kirchner
Renowned for his ability under the high ball, Kirchner won two Super Rugby titles at the Bulls and played 31 Test matches for the Springboks. At the time of the clash at Eden Park, the outside back was plying his trade with Irish giants Leinster, where he won a PRO12 title in 2014.
After four seasons with Leinster, he signed a deal to join the Dragons and did have a short loan stint at Premiership outfit Bristol Bears before bringing his career to an end in 2019.
He now works as a self-employed Mentor and Performance Consultant according to his LinkedIn profile, and earlier this year, joined the Uganda national team support staff ahead of the Rugby Africa Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
Kirchner was also the head coach of the SWD Eagles, having previously worked as an assistant coach at the Currie Cup First Division side, but parted ways with the Outeniqua-based outfit after a disappointing SA Cup campaign.
14 Willie le Roux
Le Roux earned just his seventh Test cap for the Springboks, the last time they visited Eden Park after forcing his way into Meyer’s squad through his performances with the Cheetahs.
The veteran outside back has since gone on to play a pivotal role in winning two Rugby World Cups and a British and Irish Lions Series with South Africa and became just the eighth player to represent the Springboks in 100 Test matches.
The now 36-year-old is contracted to the Bulls for another season of the United Rugby Championship, remains in the Springboks squad and will start his second game at Eden Park in Green and Gold in Round Three of the 2025 Rugby Championship.
Since the last time the Boks played at the iconic stadium, Le Roux has played for the likes of the Canon Eagles, Sharks, Wasps and Toyota Verblitz.
13 JJ Engelbrecht
JJ Engelbrecht played the majority of his 12 Test matches in 2013 for the Springboks but continued to feature for clubs across the world, including the Bulls, Stormers, Toyota Industries Shuttles, Ospreys, Clermont and the Sunwolves.
Since his retirement, the former midfielder has taken up a position as the Marketing Manager at Endulini Fruit in Hankley, Eastern Cape.
12 Jean de Villiers
The Springboks legend hung up his boots in 2016 after a glittering career at the highest level. De Villiers captained the Springboks in the defeat to the All Blacks at Eden Park 12 years ago and finished his international career with a whopping 109 caps, leading his country on 37 occasions.
De Villiers now works in broadcasting as a pundit and analyst on SuperSport, while he also features on several podcasts. Alongside his media work, the former midfielder also has other business interests, including a brandy company that was founded by fellow former Bok captain John Smit and several ex-players.
11 Bryan Habana
Widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of all time, Habana hung up his boots in 2018 after an illustrious international and club career.
He retired as the Springboks’ all-time leading try scorer in Test rugby, crossing the whitewash 67 times in 124 matches.
While Habana does still provide punditry for broadcasters in the United Kingdom and South Africa, he has several other business interests.
He is a Chief Client Officer and Co-Founder of Paymenow – a South African financial wellness provider – and is also a Co-Founder and CRO at Retroactive – a sports-focused marketing and advertising agency.
He holds several other director positions and is the chief relationship officer at Match Kit, a company that allows athletes to better commercialise their careers.
10 Morné Steyn
Steyn had the rare opportunity to play the All Blacks at Eden Park twice during his career, having also faced the men in black at their fortress in 2010.
He also had the honour of not only playing but winning a British and Irish Lions Series twice, earning his penultimate cap for the Springboks in the third Test in 2021 – a match where he kicked the series-clinching points for the second time in his career.
While he spent a large chunk of his career representing Stade Francais, where he won two Challenge Cups and a Top 14 title, Steyn returned to the Bulls in 2020. The Springboks legend called time on his glorious career in Pretoria and has since moved across the Juskei river, joining the Lions as part of their coaching staff.
9 Ruan Pienaar
The son of Springboks great Gysie Pienaar, Ruan played 88 times for his country, earning his final cap for South Africa in 2015. While he didn’t earn any appearances in Green and Gold once Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018, he was reportedly on the stand-by list for the Boks for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
In 2010, Pienaar joined Irish club Ulster and would play for the side until 2017 when he wasn’t offered a contract extension as the IRFU controversially opted to focus on youth development, resulting in the club’s cult hero’s departure. He ultimately signed for French club Montpellier, who he represented until 2019 before returning to South Africa, joining the Cheetahs – the team he played for at youth level.
He did have a brief stint at the Sharks during this, but eventually hung up his boots after winning the 2023 Currie Cup with the Cheetahs. He played his final professional game at the age of 40, captaining the side in a clash against the Griquas at Shimla Park.
Pienaar has been widely tipped for a bright coaching career and has made the move to the sidelines, working as the Cheetahs’ backline coach, alongside his former teammate Frans Steyn, who is the team’s director of rugby.
The pack
8 Duane Vermeulen
Vermeulen earned his 11th Test cap against the All Blacks in Auckland 12 years ago, and like Le Roux, he went on to become a staple in the Springboks squad.
On 28 October 2023, the Bok number eight played his 76th and final game for South Africa in the 12-11 victory over the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final.
Following his retirement, Vermeulen has also stepped into a coaching role, joining SA Rugby’s structures as a ‘roving coach’, assisting teams across the country. He was reportedly fielding interest from the Stormers and Bulls for a position, but opted to join SA Rugby instead and is often seen on the touchline for the Springboks.
7 Willem Alberts
Remarkably, powerhouse Springboks forward Alberts played professionally until the age of 40, finishing his career at the Lions after stints at the Sharks and Stade Francais.
Renowned for his powerful carries and hammering hits, Alberts was known as ‘The Bone Collector’ during his career and following his retirement in 2024, he has stepped into his new venture in the agricultural sector. He is currently in the position of marketing specialist at neXgro South Africa.
6 Francois Louw
The Bath legend retired from professional rugby shortly after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, where he played a crucial role in winning the tournament, clinching a clutch turnover to beat Wales in the semi-finals. The next week, Louw came off the bench to earn his 76th cap for South Africa in the final against England.
Louw has since stepped into the business world, working as a financial adviser at Skybound Connect. He is also a board member of the Barbarians.
5 Flip van der Merwe
An imposing second=rower for the Springboks, Bulls and Clermont, Van der Merwe traded scrums, mauls and rucks for the boardroom after hanging up his boots in 2019.
The 37-Test cap international has several business ventures, including, but not limited to, being a managing partner at Level6 Consulting, the co-founder of The Lekker Network, a member of the New Sales UK and Europe team at Comotion Business Solutions and a director at the OHRO Consulting Group and Lynnwood Investment Group.
He also obtained an MBA at the University of Cambridge and featured in one of the prestigious annual Varsity Matches against Oxford University.
Van der Merwe was also part of a takeover of French club Biarritz and served as the team’s president before resigning from the position in November last year, just seven months into the role, citing a disconnect with the club’s “values and direction” and added that “too many cooks spoil the broth.”
4 Eben Etzebeth
Etzebeth earned his 18th Test cap against the All Blacks in Auckland back in 2013 and has since gone on to become the Springboks’ most capped player of all time.
He continues to represent the Springboks at the highest level and is set to earn his 136th cap for his country against New Zealand at Eden Park.
While he plied his trade with the Stormers 12 years ago, he now plays for the Sharks and has stints with the Kubota Spears and RC Toulon.
3 Jannie du Plessis
In January of 2023, brothers Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis both officially hung up their boots, bringing their careers that spanned 20 years to an end.
Older brother Jannie did so at the Lions with the tighthead prop retiring with 70 Test caps for his country under his belt. The duo played over 240 games together, making their Test debuts on the same day, on 7 July 2007 against Australia. Jannie is a qualified doctor and practices his profession with MHR.
2 Bismarck du Plessis
Younger brother Bismarck played 79 Tests for the Springboks during his career and won the 2007 World Cup with his older sibling.
He brought down the curtain on his illustrious career after the Bulls dropped out of the United Rugby Championship quarter-final in 2023 and played one last Currie Cup game on 10 June.
After winning several trophies along with Jannie, the ex-hooker now works on his family farm.
1 Tendai Mtawarira
‘The Beast’ Mtawarira made his Springboks debut in 2008 and went on to become an icon of the side. He earned 117 Test caps for South Africa, his adopted country, across his 11-year Test career and helped win the 2019 World Cup – playing his final game in the final victory over England.
Following the tournament, he had a stint in the USA playing for just the second club of his career – Old Glory DC.
Since retiring from the sport, Mtawarira is a self-described ‘Serial Entrepreneur’, starting his own wine and security companies as well as a charitable foundation. He is also a Director of his former team, the Sharks.
Replacements
16 Adriaan Strauss
The former Cheetahs and Bulls hooker brought his career to a close in 2018 after playing over 300 professional matches, including 66 for the Springboks, captaining South Africa on 12 occasions.
He is currently the director at ITEC Free State, a leading Printing, Production printing, Document Management, Enterprise communications and Financial solutions provider – a position that he has held since 2012.
In 2023, he also co-founded Cactus Capital, a multi-disciplinary business advisory firm.
17 Coenie Oosthuizen
In August 2024, Oosthuizen announced his forced retirement from rugby after a severe neck injury sustained during a match earlier that year.
It’s not quite clear what the former prop, who represented the Springboks on 30 occasions, is up to nowadays.
18 Gürthro Steenkamp
A former SA Rugby Player of the Year and Rugby World Cup winner, Steenkamp, enjoyed a trophy-laden career with French club Toulouse and the Bulls before hanging up his boots in 2018.
He is another former Springbok who has ventured into coaching and has started a business as a scrum coach and keynote speaker in Toulouse. Most recently, he was the scrum coach at La Rochelle, a position he held until July of this year.
Steenkamp also shares his knowledge of the dark arts on social media.
19 Juandré Kruger
Another former Springboks and Bulls forward who plied his trade in France, playing for the likes of Racing 92 and RC Toulon while having stints at Northampton Saints and Scarlets.
He hung up his boots in 2020 and has also spread a wide business nest. He has been a non-executive director at Khanagella Eye Theatre for over 17 years and is the executive president for Biltong Power. He is also the Group Chief Executive Officer for Tygervalley Eye and Laser Centre.
20 Siya Kolisi
The third and final Springbok who played 12 years ago and could do so again in 2025. Kolisi earned just his sixth Test cap against the Springboks in 2013.
Kolisi has since become one of the most recognisable rugby players of all time after becoming the first black player to captain the Springboks in 2018. The inspirational leader led South Africa to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles and a British and Irish Lions Series victory in 2021.
The flanker is now closing in on becoming the latest Springboks centurion.
Springboks’ record at Eden Park as Rassie Erasmus’ men look to end 88-year hoodoo
21 Jano Vermaak
An appearance off the bench at Eden Park marked the third and final time that scrum-half Vermaak played for the Springboks.
Throughout his playing career, he represented the Lions, Cats, Bulls and Toulouse. These days, the former number nine is the Director of Future Car Finance.
22 Pat Lambie
A wonderfully gifted player, Lambie, played 56 times for the Springboks during his career, which was cruelly cut short due to a concussion. The former Sharks playmaker ended his career at French club Racing 92 in 2018 at the age of 28.
He is now working for the Collins Group, a commercial property and investment group, working in their residential division.
Lambie is also a board member of the Sharks and is a kicking consultant for the Durban-based outfit.
23 Jan Serfontein
Hailed as a generational talent due to his exploits at Grey College during his youth, Serfontein made his Test debut for the Springboks at the tender age of 20 in 2013.
By 2017, he had already racked up 35 appearances for the Springboks, but his departure from the Bulls to join French club Montpellier put the brakes on his international career.
The now 32-year-old has recently signed a deal to rejoin the Bulls after an eight-year stint in France, where he won two Challenge Cups and a Top 14 title, playing well over 100 games for Montpellier.