Siya Kolisi continues to close the gap on John Smit as the player to have captained the Springboks in the most Tests.
Smit has been the long-standing holder of that mark – with 83 Tests – having played his final match in the green and gold on 9 October 2011.
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After leading the Springboks in their most recent match against Italy last weekend, Kolisi now has 69 Tests as skipper to his name.
He’s 14 Tests adrift of Smit.
Kolisi would have to play – and captain – in both the Springboks’ remaining matches this year as well as every Test in 2026 to come close to Smit’s mark.
With Kolisi likely to continue his international career until the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, he has every chance of passing Smit – and maybe even reaching the 100-Test mark as captain.
Players to have captained the Springboks on 10 or more occasions
| Captain | Tests |
| John Smit | 83 |
| Siya Kolisi * | 69 |
| Jean de Villiers | 37 |
| Gary Teichmann | 36 |
| Francois Pienaar | 29 |
| Victor Matfield | 23 |
| Dawie de Villiers | 22 |
| Corné Krige | 18 |
| André Vos | 16 |
| Morné du Plessis | 15 |
| Eben Etzebeth * | 14 |
| Bobby Skinstad | 12 |
| Adriaan Strauss | 12 |
| Hannes Marais | 11 |
| Avril Malan | 10 |
| Joost van der Westhuizen | 10 |
Meanwhile, the Springboks will have a English referee in charge of their next Test against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 19:40 (SA time).
