Following the conclusion of the Springboks’ 2025 international season, we rated every single player that Rassie Erasmus selected this year out of 10.
Having already scored the forwards, we move on to the backs.
While the performances of the forwards dominated the headlines throughout 2025, the backs were just as pivotal in winning 13 of the 15 Test matches.
Youth stole the spotlight with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shining throughout, while Ethan Hooker enjoyed a stunning debut season.
Erasmus used 50 players in total in 2025, and having rated the 31 forwards, we move on to the 19 backs, which includes Andre Esterhuizen.
Outside backs
Aphelele Fassi: The Weekend Special’s season was cruelly cut short when he really started to hit his stride. He had more competition for his role after forcing his way back into the squad last year, and rose to the challenge, which did his hopes of more caps next year a world of good. Fassi didn’t hit the heights that he did in 2024, but was solid before injury struck. 6
Cheslin Kolbe: The man for the big occasions. Kolbe won all but one of his nine matches in Green and Gold this year, against the All Blacks at Eden Park, but his most memorable performances were in the Boks’ best victories. He grabbed a stunning brace in Wellington, scored in the thrashing of Argentina and produced standout shifts against France and Ireland. Remains comfortably one of the best wingers in the world. Rightly named in the World Rugby Dream Team of the Year. 8
Damian Willemse: An outrageous performance in Wellington was the crown jewel in a fantastic year back in Green and Gold. Willemse missed the entire 2024 season through injury, and while he had somewhat of a sluggish start to his return, his shift in the All Blacks’ heaviest-ever defeat will be remembered for years to come. That set the bar for Willemse, and he hit it again versus Argentina and Italy while producing solid performances against France and Ireland. 8
Edwill van der Merwe: The pocket-rocket had to wait over a year between his first and second Test caps for the Springboks. However, he made up for lost time, crossing for back-to-back doubles against Italy and Georgia. He had some bright moments in the defeat to Australia in Johannesburg, a match in which he sustained an injury and only returned to face the Azzurri in Turin. He was solid in that fixture before returning to South Africa early to welcome his new-born into the world. The Boks have another lethal winger in Van der Merwe, who just needs a bit more luck injury-wise. 7
Ethan Hooker: Nominated for World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year and rightly so. Hooker took to Test rugby like a duck to water, as he was able to replicate his stunning form with the Sharks in a Green and Gold jersey. He produced a marvellous shift in his first start against New Zealand in Wellington before grabbing his first try against Italy. He was unfortunate to miss out on the Tests against France and Ireland, but was in a destructive mood against Wales, ending a remarkable debut international season on a high. 8
Kurt-Lee Arendse: Six appearances, five tries. In 2025, Arendse lived up to his nickname Finish and KLAar as he continued his ridiculous strike-rate in international rugby (76.7%). He now ranks 10th overall on the Springboks’ all-time leading try scorers list and would have moved even higher had injuries not limited his involvement. Like Kolbe, Arendse is one of the best in the business when fully fit, but unfortunately for him, it wasn’t often enough this year. 7
Makazole Mapimpi: Just the one appearance for the experienced winger as he featured in the 45-0 thrashing of Italy in Gqeberha. He grabbed a try in the match and equipped himself rather well. 2025 was the year that Mapimpi really fell down the pecking order and more because of the form of others rather than himself. A ban while playing for the Sharks denied him an opportunity to feature on the end-of-year tour, but he wasn’t in the mix for the Rugby Championship anyway. 6
Willie le Roux: An unforgettable year for the experienced full-back who notched up his 100th appearance for the Springboks in Gqeberha and put in a tidy performance, weaving his magic in the fixture. However, he dropped a shocker at Eden Park, and that led to him being released from the squad for the rest of the Rugby Championship and end-of-year tour, despite the injury to Fassi. A legend of the Green and Gold jersey, but it looks like 2025 may well be his final year in the Bok squad. 4
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Centres
Andre Esterhuizen: Like many of his teammates, Ellis Park was a blight on a fantastic international season. But on a personal note, 2025 was Esterhuizen’s most impactful year in the Bok jersey as he benefited immensely from Erasmus’ ploy to have a hybrid player in his squad. Whether he was playing as a centre or flanker or both, Esterhuizen was outstanding. He scored his first Test try against the Wallabies and would add four more to his tally, crossing in the victories over New Zealand, Japan, France and Wales, the last of which he was crowned Player of the Match. The powerhouse 31-year-old has struggled for opportunities in the matchday 23s in recent seasons, but this year, he has made himself nigh-on undroppable. 9
Damian de Allende: There is not a single Springbok who underestimates what the veteran centre brings to the team, but De Allende rarely gets the plaudits he deserves. The midfielder lost just once this year, at Eden Park, and even then, it was a solid performance from him. The ‘glue man’ of the Springboks’ backline and batters over the gainline more effectively than any other inside centre in the game. 8
Jesse Kriel: Became the 67th Springbok to lead South Africa in a Test match, guiding the team to a victory over Italy in Pretoria. He led the side a further two times and was crucial in the wins in Paris and Dublin. Kriel remains a real force in the centres and proved it against the best teams in the world, while his partnership with De Allende remains formidable. The 31-year-old notched up his 87th Test cap this year and is bound to reach 100 if he continues to perform as he did in 2025, despite the stiff competition for his jersey. 7
Canan Moodie: Shifted between wing and centre seamlessly throughout the year and shone in both roles. When he debuted as a teenager, he was hailed as a generational talent, and he continues to prove that those predictions weren’t outlandish. Like many of his teammates, he really hit top form in Wellington and maintained that form through to the end of the year. 8
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Half-backs
Cobus Reinach: Erasmus stated that Reinach was ‘probably in the form of his career’ this year, and it’s hard to argue with that. At the tender age of 35, he made the starting number nine his own. His five tries barely begins to highlight his brilliance, perhaps him marching off the pitch in Paris looking like a diminutive Hulk was a more accurate depiction, as he proved to be the perfect fit for Tony Brown’s attacking structures. He issued a statement of intent that he plans to play way more than 50 Test caps. 9
Faf de Klerk: While Reinach stamped his mark on the number nine jersey, De Klerk’s grip on a place in the squad further slipped. He remained in the mix via Zoom but played just twice for the Boks, coming off the bench against Italy and Georgia. He fared reasonably well in both matches, but it wasn’t enough to demand further involvement. 6
Grant Williams: After missing the end of the Sharks’ season through injury, he hit the ground sprinting and was in the starting line-up for the Springboks. His box kicks were fantastic, while he added a real bite to the attack with his pace around the fringes. However, after losses to Australia and New Zealand, Erasmus deemed that his attributes were better suited from the bench, and it was ultimately the right call. Williams repeatedly made his mark off the pine and made some telling contributions at scrum-half and on occasion, at wing. 7
Handre Pollard: The double Rugby World Cup winner was used far less frequently in 2025 than years gone by, playing just five times in Green and Gold. He was thrown back into the run-on team in Cape Town against Australia after the disaster in Johannesburg the week before, and marshalled the team to a convincing win. He was unable to do so again at Eden Park, but when called upon, Pollard produced solid performances. He featured in five Tests and won four with Erasmus, using this year to further develop Feinberg-Mnogmezulu with the knowledge of what Pollard is capable of. 7
Manie Libbok: After a brilliant 20 minutes at Ellis Park, Libbok overplayed his hand and imploded as the Springboks succumbed to a crushing defeat. However, he bounced back with a starring display in Wellington, conducting South Africa’s thrashing of the All Blacks. He came off the bench in seven of his nine appearances this year and was crucial in winning several of those matches. 8
Morne van den Berg: Four Tests, five tries. The Lions scrum-half struggled for regular minutes, with Erasmus preferring Reinach and Williams, but when he got an opportunity, he took it. 7
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: What a year for the rising star who was unlucky to miss out on the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award in 2024. Feinberg-Mngomezulu is yet to lose a Test match which he has started and is seemingly getting better and better with each passing game. There is no doubt that the 23-year-old is world-class already, and he proved it in 2025. His performance in Durban will be remembered for years to come as he set a new record for the most points scored by a Springbok in a Test match (37). He was sensational against the likes of Ireland and France, too. Remarkably, he has scored more tries than any other Bok fly-half, despite scoring his first five-pointer in September! He wasn’t flawless throughout the year, but the generational talent is fully deserving of a ten. 10
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