List of South Africa national rugby union team captains
Every player to captain the South Africa national rugby union team in a test match is listed here. Captains are listed in chronological order of their first match as captain.
H.H. Castens captainEd South Africa on 30 July 1891 in their first ever test against the touring British Isles team at Crusaders Cricket Ground in Port Elizabeth. John Smit holds the record as the most capped Springbok captain in international rugby history.
| № | Player | Initials | Date of first test | Date of first test as captain | Tests played | Tests played as captain |
| 1 | Herbert Castens | HH | 30 July 1891 | 30 July 1891 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Bob Snedden | RCD | 29 August 1891 | 29 August 1891 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Alf Richards | AR | 30 July 1891 | 5 September 1891 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Ferdie Aston | F | 30 July 1896 | 30 July 1896 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Fairy Heatlie | BH | 9 August 1896 | 5 September 1896 | 6 | 2 |
| 6 | Alex Frew | A | 29 August 1903 | 29 August 1903 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Jackie Powell | JM | 19 August 1891 | 05 September 1903 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | Paddy Carolin | HW | 12 September 1903 | 17 November 1906 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Paul Roos | PJ | 12 September 1903 | 24 November 1906 | 4 | 3 |
| 10 | Dougie Morkel | DFT | 24 November 1906 | 06 August 1910 | 9 | 2 |
| 11 | Billy Millar | WA | 08 December 1906 | 27 August 1910 | 6 | 5 |
| 12 | Theo Pienaar | TB | — | 1921 | — | — |
| 13 | Uncle Dobbin | FJ | 29 August 1904 | 23 November 1913 | 9 | 1 |
| 14 | Boy Morkel | WH | 03 September 1910 | 13 August 1921 | 9 | 3 |
| 15 | PK Albertyn | PK | 16 August 1924 | 16 Augstus 1924 | 4 | 4 |
| 16 | Phil Mostert | PJ | 13 August 1921 | 30 June 1928 | 14 | 4 |
| 17 | Bennie Osler | BL | 16 August 1924 | 05 December 1931 | 17 | 5 |
| 18 | Phil Nel | PJ | 30 June 1928 | 08 July 1933 | 16 | 8 |
| 19 | Danie Craven | DH | 05 December 1931 | 14 August 1937 | 16 | 4 |
| 20 | Felix du Plessis | F | 16 July 1949 | 16 July 1949 | 3 | 3 |
| 21 | Basil Kenyon | BJ | 17 September 1949 | 17 September 1949 | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | Hennie Muller | HSV | 16 July 1949 | 24 November 1951 | 13 | 9 |
| 23 | Stephen Fry | SP | 04 November 1951 | 06 August 1955 | 13 | 4 |
| 24 | Basie Vivier | SS | 26 May 1956 | 26 May 1956 | 5 | 5 |
| 25 | Salty du Rand | JA | 13 August 1949 | 14 July 1956 | 21 | 1 |
| 26 | Johan Claassen | JT | 06 August 1955 | 26 July 1958 | 28 | 9 |
| 27 | Des van Jaarsveldt | DC | 30 April 1960 | 30 April 1960 | 1 | 1 |
| 28 | Roy Dryburgh | RG | 20 August 1955 | 25 June 1960 | 8 | 2 |
| 29 | Avril Malan | AS | 25 June 1960 | 13 August 1960 | 16 | 10 |
| 30 | Abie Malan | GF | 16 August 1958 | 13 July 1963 | 18 | 4 |
| 31 | Nelie Smith | CM | 24 August 1963 | 25 July 1964 | 7 | 4 |
| 32 | Dawie de Villiers | DJ | 21 July 1962 | 31 July 1965 | 25 | 22 |
| 33 | Tommy Bedford | TP | 13 July 1963 | 16 August 1969 | 25 | 3 |
| 34 | Hannes Marais | JFK | 24 August 1963 | 12 June 1971 | 35 | 11 |
| 35 | Piet Greyling | PJF | 15 July 1967 | 30 June 1972 | 25 | 1 |
| 36 | Morné du Plessis | M | 17 July 1971 | 21 June 1975 | 22 | 15 |
| 37 | Theuns Stofberg | MTS | 14 August 1976 | 18 October 1980 | 21 | 4 |
| 38 | Wynand Claassen | W | 30 May 1981 | 30 May 1981 | 7 | 7 |
| 39 | Divan Serfontein | DJ | 31 May 1980 | 20 October 1984 | 19 | 2 |
| 40 | Naas Botha | HE | 26 April 1980 | 10 May 1986 | 23 | 9 |
| 41 | Jannie Breedt | JC | 10 May 1986 | 26 August 1989 | 6 | 2 |
| 42 | Francois Pienaar | JF | 26 June 1993 | 26 June 1993 | 29 | 29 |
| 43 | Tiaan Strauss | CP | 17 October 1992 | 09 July 1994 | 15 | 1 |
| 44 | Adriaan Richter | AH | 17 October 1992 | 30 May 1995 | 10 | 1 |
| 45 | Gary Teichmann | GH | 02 September 1995 | 17 August 1996 | 42 | 36 |
| 46 | Corné Krige | CP | 19 June 1999 | 19 June 1999 | 39 | 18 |
| 47 | Rassie Erasmus | J | 05 July 1997 | 17 July 1999 | 36 | 1 |
| 48 | Joost van der Westhuizen | JH | 06 November 1993 | 07 August 1999 | 89 | 10 |
| 49 | André Vos | AN | 12 June 1999 | 10 October 1999 | 33 | 16 |
| 50 | Bob Skinstad | RB | 29 November 1997 | 30 June 2001 | 42 | 12 |
| 51 | John Smit | JF | 10 June 2000 | 24 October 2003 | 111 | 83 |
| 52 | Victor Matfield | V | 30 June 2001 | 23 June 2007 | 125 | 21 |
| 53 | Johann Muller | J | 10 June 2006 | 14 July 2007 | 22 | 1 |
| 54 | Jean de Villiers | J | 09 November 2002 | 09 June 2012 | 109 | 37 |
| 55 | Schalk Burger | SWP | 24 October 2003 | 25 July 2015 | 86 | 1 |
| 56 | Fourie du Preez | PF | 12 June 2004 | 03 October 2015 | 74 | 2 |
| 57 | Adriaan Strauss | JA | 19 July 2008 | 11 June 2016 | 57 | 3 |
| 58 | Warren Whiteley | WR | 06 September 2014 | 10 June 2017 | 17 | 2 |
| 59 | Eben Etzebeth | E | 09 June 2012 | 24 June 2017 | 78 | 11 |
| 60 | Pieter-Steph du Toit | P | 09 November 2013 | 02 June 2018 | 49 | 1 |
| 61 | Siya Kolisi | SK | 16 June 2013 | 09 June 2018 | 41 | 9 |
| 62 | Duane Vermeulen | DJ | 08 September 2012 | 27 July 2019 | 48 | 2 |
| 63 | Schalk Brits | SB | 21 June 2008 | 17 August 2019 | 13 | 1 |