| Francois Pienaar holds the rare distinction that he captained the Springboks in each of his 29 Tests, which includes their famous 15-12 victory over New Zealand in the final of the Rugby World Cup in 1995. This uncompromising loose forward also captained the Boks on tours to Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and England. Even after his retirement from the game, he remained involved in rugby and was one of the founders of the very successful Varsity Cup competition in South Africa, which was launched in 2008.
Position: Flank (27), No 8 (2)
Province: Golden Lions, Saracens (UK)
Springbok number: 584
Test debut: 26 June 1993 vs France in Durban aged 26
Last test: 10 August 1996 vs New Zealand in Cape Town aged 29
Total tests: 29
Tour matches: 11
Total Springbok matches: 40
Win ratio: 19-8-2
Honours: SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee (1993 & 1995); President's Honour Award (2004). |