33% of the Springbok squad come from six schools

Six high schools produced roughly a third — 15 — of South Africa’s current Springbok squad, with half of them located in the Western Cape.

The current Springbok squad comprises 46 players from all over the country who have attended a total of 36 different schools.

Of the players, the highest number that attended the same school is three. These are Paul Roos Gymnasium, Grey College, and Paarl Boys’ High School.

Damian Willemse, Edwill van der Merwe, and Willie le Roux attended Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, which, according to Springbok Rugby History, has historically produced the most Springboks, at 56.

Le Roux, who recently won his 100th Springbok cap against Italy, first played in Green and Gold at 24 in 2013 while at the Cheetahs. Similarly, Van der Merwe, who matriculated in 2014, had to wait several years after school to make his international debut in June 2024 at 28.

On the other hand, Willemse was selected for the Stormers’ 2017 Super Rugby Season within months of matriculating and went on to make his Springbok debut in 2018 against Argentina.

Other Springboks that have attended the school in recent years include Steven Kitshoff, Francois Hougaard, Ben-Jason Dixon, and Schalk Brits.

Kobus Reinach, Jan-Hendrick Wessels, and Neethling Fouche attended Grey College in Bloemfontein, which has produced the second-most Springboks at 49.

Reinach matriculated in 2008 and eventually made his Springbok debut at 24 in a 28-10 win against Australia in 2014. Wessels made his debut at 23 in July 2024, while Fouche played his first game in Green and Gold in June 2025.

Grey College has also produced several other Springbok players, including Deon Steggmann, Bismarck du Plessis, and Francois Steyn.

Evan Roos, Salmaan Moerat, and Thomas du Toit all matriculated from Paarl Boys’ High School, which has had 26 students go on to play for the national team in the past.

Thomas du Toit was the first of these players to make his international debut, coming on as a substitute against Wales in Washington, DC.

Moerat also made his Springbok debut against Wales in June 2022 and eventually went on to captain the side for the first time two years later. Roos, who matriculated the year before Moerat, debuted in July 2022 against Wales. 

Only three other schools currently have more than one past matriculant in the squad: Hoërskool Linden, Hoërskool Upington, and Paarl Gimnasium.

The rest of the squad have all attended different schools in all provinces except Limpopo.

Where the Boks went to school by province

Of the eight provinces where the Springbok squad attended high school, the Western Cape produced the most players at eighteen.

These schools include Paul Roos Gymnasium, Paarl Boys’ High School, Paarl Gimnasium, Boland Landbou, Milnerton High School, Brackenfell High School, Tygerberg High School, and Hoërskool Outeniqua.

Similarly, six out of the top ten schools that have produced the most Springboks in history are in the Western Cape. These include Bishops, SACS, and Rondebosch.

Gauteng schools have produced the second-most players in the squad, with 11, including Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, Northcliff High School, St Stithians College, and Hoërskool Linden.

The Free State comes in at third with four. Three come from Grey College, with Ox Nché having attended Louis Botha High School, also in Bloemfontein.

Three players attended high school in the Eastern Cape, most notably Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi, who went to Grey High School in Gqeberha. Schools in KwaZulu-Natal also produced three players.

Latest combined school rankings 

According to the SA School Sports combined rankings, Affies (GP) ranked first in the country as for the 2025 season, with an average bonus point score of 75.484.

Paarl Gimnasium (WC), came in second place at 75.334. Grey College (FS) came in third, followed by Paul Roos (WC) and Paarl Boys’ High School (WC).

The rest of the top ten comprised Durban High School (KZN), Grey High School (EC), Garsfontein (GP), Outeniqua (WC), and Westville Boys’ High School (KZN).

The Fairtree Combined School Rugby Rankings “shine a spotlight on those institutions that nurture talent at every level, honoring the programs that invest in their players from the grassroots all the way to the top.”

This opposed to the first XV rankings that only consider the performance of the each school’s flagship team.