Paul Roos Springbok schools
Which South African schools have produced the most Springboks since the first player was capped back in 1891? Here’s the list … Image: Paul Roos Facebook

Home » Springbok stats: Most common surname, city of birth and top schools

Springbok stats: Most common surname, city of birth and top schools

Ever wondered which school has produced the most Springboks – or what the most common Springbok surname is?

02-04-24 15:55
Paul Roos Springbok schools
Which South African schools have produced the most Springboks since the first player was capped back in 1891? Here’s the list … Image: Paul Roos Facebook

As of the Springboks‘ most recent Test – the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France – 933 players had represented South Africa on the international stage.

Springbok No 1 was Benjamin Duff back in 1891, while Gerhard Steenekamp is the 933rd and most recent player to have donned the famed green and gold colours of the reigning world champions.

In the bigger picture it might not matter where they were born, where they went to school and what their surname is, but it still makes for fascinating reading.

A look through the history books shows that no fewer than 15 schools can count 10 or more Springboks as Old Boys.

As reported by the SAPeople websitePaul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch has produced the most Springboks – including Paul Roos himself.

RankSchoolPlayers
1Paul Roos Gymnasium54
2Grey College46
3Bishops42
4SACS32
5Paarl Gimnasium30
T6Kimberley Boys’ High23
T6Paarl Boys’ High23
8Rondebosch21
T9Grey High School17
T9Maritzburg College17
11Wynberg Boys High16
12Dale College13
13St Andrew’s (Grahamstown)12
T14Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool11
T14Hottentots-Holland11

Click here for the full list of schools

Meanwhile, a look at the Top 14 cities in South Africa in which future Springboks were born also throws up a couple of surprises.

RankCityPlayers
1Cape Town68
2Pretoria46
3Johannesburg42
4Paarl35
T5Kimberley27
T5Port Elizabeth27
7Durban26
8Bloemfontein25
9Stellenbosch16
T10King William’s Town14
T10Potchefstroom14
12Somerset West13
13Krugersdorp11
14Ceres10

Finally, among those 933 Springboks, any guesses as to which SURNAME has been the most common?

The answer is no ‘Van der Merwe’ joke!

Top 12 most common Springbok surnames are:

RankSurnameNumber
1Van der Merwe12
2Du Plessis11
T3Louw10
T3Morkel10
T5Botha9
T5Du Preez9
T5Du Toit9
T8Smith8
T8Van Zyl8
T10De Villiers7
T10Le Roux7
T10Muller7

These are the 12 Van der Merwe’s to have represented the Springboks (in first-name alphabetical order):

NameSpringbok #
Akker van der Merwe902
Alvi van der Merwe221
Bertus van der Merwe323
Carel van der Merwe703
Fiks van der Merwe273
Flip van der Merwe818
Flippie van der Merwe526
Franco van der Merwe846
Heinke van der Merwe790
Johann van der Merwe433
Marcel van der Merwe858
Stompie van der Merwe365