Springbok World Cup squad for 2023 and their schools

Since the oldest player in the Springbok squad for the World Cup in France matriculated back in 2003 until the youngest player matriculated in 2020 a total of 427 players represented the South African Schools side.

Of which only 11 of them are part of the squad of 33 who will attempt to defend the Springboks’ title. The oldest Springbok in the squad, Deon Fourie (Hoërskool Pietersburg), matriculated back in 2003.

He represented the Limpopo Blue Bulls at the Craven Week that year. The youngest Canan Moodie (Boland Landbou) matriculated in 2020 and didn’t get a chance to take part in the Craven Week as no tournament was held in 2020 due to the Coronavirus-pandemic.

This means Moodie was in his first year of life when Fourie played at the Craven Week in 2003.

Yes, the statistic is skewed a bit due to the fact that some of the 427 players did go on to represent the Springboks or even other nations during their careers. But it is still interesting and worth noting that being picked for the SA Schools’ side certainly doesn’t warrant success later on in a player’s rugby career.

Further what is interesting is that 13 players in the squad never even made it to the Craven Week.

Only two schools, Paul Roos Gimnasium and Hoërskool Tygerberg, have more than one representative the the Bok-squad. Willie le Roux, Steven Kitshoff and Damian Willsemse all played that schoolboy rugby for Paul Roos, while Eben Etzebeth and Marvin Orie formed a lock-pairing in the first team of Hoërskool Tygerberg.

South Africa’s 65th Springbok-captain, Bongi Mbonambi, is the only player in the squad that gets his schooling career allocated to two schools in St Alban’s College and Voortrekker in Bethlehem. Mbonambi represented the Griffons at the Grant Khomo Week and also played a couple of matches for Voortrekker’s First XV before making the move to Pretoria.

Mbonambi represented the Blue Bulls at the Craven Week in East London in 2009 and also made the SA Schools’ side of that year.

In our statistics a player is allocated to a school via the following criteria. He matriculated from that school or represented said schools’ First XV during his schooling career.

Springbok World Cup Squad and their schools: 

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Hannes Nienaber

Hannes Nienaber covered schools' rugby in South Africa for Volksblad, Beeld, and Rapport for 11 years. He also created the biggest school rugby website in South Africa - School of Rugby - back in 2007. It eventually morphed into Supersport Schools Plus. He still occasionally milks cows.

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