Rated: The best and worst Springboks of 2025

These are the good times. The best of times. The times that not too long ago felt like they’d never come and now feel like they’ll never go away.

We’re told that sport is cyclical, but when you’re in the midst of the greatest period of South African rugby, it’s hard to imagine how or when this will end. Springboks fans have never been so giddy, or so bombastic. Supporters of every other nation cannot open social media or scroll through a comments section without being reminded of South Africa’s dominance. Any mention of Antoine Dupont, Steve Borthwick’s masterplan or the continued excellence of Ardie Savea is instantly met with the same two words: “four World Cups”.

If this is indeed a dynasty then it is like the one founded by the ancient Assyrian emperors; brash and all-conquering.

This was another vintage year for Rassie Erasmus as his team clobbered France, gave the All Blacks their biggest ever hiding and finally claimed victory on Irish soil. Malcolm Marx was crowned World Rugby Player of the Year and the Boks’ reserve pack was widely hailed as the second best on the planet.

There were stumbles. The capitulation against the Wallabies in Johannesburg is still hard to quantify and the failure to throw a punch until it was too late in Auckland means one itch remains unscratched. No matter, 2025, with a clean sweep of Europe and another Rugby Championship crown is worth celebrating.

Erasmus used 49 players across 14 Test matches. We watched every tackle, every carry, every pass and every card as we scored each performance out of 10. In doing so, we learned a little more about the world’s number one team:

Players with go-forward grunt are key to the whole enterprise

Tony Brown has added an extra dimension to South Africa’s attack but one truism remains; no dynamic scrum-half, no creative fly-half can operate as intended without enough front-foot ball.

It is no surprise then to see that some of South Africa’s best performers over the year are the ones who turned their bodies into battering rams as they hammered the gainline with meaty carries.

Were it not for a score of 3 for picking up a red card against Italy, Jasper Wiese would have been the Springboks’ highest scorer. When he featured, he never dipped below an 8 and was awarded a 9 for his blockbuster performance against France where he stampeded over blue jerseys.

Andre Esterhuizen was similarly destructive and received the joint-highest score of any player from any game – a 9.5 for his barnstorming show against a hapless Welsh side. With 8s against France and Italy, as well as against New Zealand in Wellington, Esterhuizen’s heft proved that the South African machine functions best when the big units are crashing forward.

Canan Moodie could be a world beater, if he finds consistency

From 11 Tests the 23-year-old recorded an average score of 6.6. Only Eben Etzebeth – who carded a 5 for the no-show against France and a 4 for his brain-fade against Wales – played as many with a lower aggregate.

And yet when Moodie shone, he dazzled like an exploding star. A 9 in the 45-0 demolition of Italy back in July as well as two 8s on the end of year tour – against Italy and Wales – underlines his potential. When the opposition is ragged, when he has time to canter down the tram or scythe through midfield, he looks the real deal.

But low scores against Australia (4 and 5.5) and Argentina (4) dragged down his total tally. A lack of discipline when defending the 13 channel remains a concern and he can disappear when things get tight.

There is no doubt that he has the raw talent to reach the highest echelons of the game. What he needs is consistency.

The scrum-half production line is operating at full capacity

It may come as no surprise to see two scrum-halves among the top seven overall scorers. Cobus Reinach had a sensational end to the campaign, notching a hat-trick of 8s against Japan, France and Ireland after scoring a 9 against Argentina in a game that included a stunning solo try. Grant Williams was equally prolific. His extra pace had him over the whitewash. Against France and Australia in matches where he notched scores of 8.5 and 8 respectively.

What might raise a few eyebrows is the name at the very top of the list when average scores, and not overall scores, are used to rank players. Morne van den Berg only played four games – against Georgia, Argentina, Italy and Wales – but stacked up 31.5 ranking points. His 9 in Turin, in a slog that threatened to get away from the Boks, was defined by his control at the back of a handicapped pack.

None of them have reached anything close to the levels of Fourie du Preez or Joost van Der Westhuizen – the two scrum-halves recently included in SuperSport’s all-time greatest Springboks team – nor do they have the resume of Faf de Klerk. But they are reliable, industrious and have an eye for the try-line.

Unsung heroes play their part

Some expected names top our chart. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – with a 9.5 in his hat-trick game against Argentina – is predictably near the summit. So too is Marx who bagged a nine against the Pumas a week later. Damian Willemse and Pieter-Steph du Toit twice scored 9 in the year.

But none of them scored as many points as prop Wilco Louw who was Mr Consistent. With a total score of 84 from 12 Tests, the hard-working, softly-spoken front rower proved that you don’t always have to be a contender for player of the match to be one of the Boks’ most valuable assets.

Ruan Nortje was another quietly excellent cog. He never dropped below 6 and mostly hovered around the 7.5 mark. Effective in the loose, formidable around the fringe and now firmly established as the side’s line-out general, Nortje, like Louw, is now firmly now established within the group.

Impact off the bench is a cheat code

If the Springboks have turned winning into a habit, then their bench has become the secret weapon that guarantees it. No team in world rugby extracts more value from the numbers 16 through 23, and nowhere is that more evident than in our ratings.

Kwagga Smith, the very embodiment of controlled chaos, finished as the second-highest scorer overall with 81.5 points – despite starting just two of his 12 Tests. His ability to enter a contest already simmering and immediately turn up the heat is unmatched: turnovers snaffled at crucial moments, metres made through sheer belligerence, tempo injected with every touch.

RG Snyman was similarly transformative. Across seven appearances from the pine he never dipped below a seven, and his 8 against the All Blacks reaffirmed his role as the world’s most destructive closer.

Esterhuizen, hardly a subtle presence at the best of times, became a wrecking ball in cameo form. Three consecutive 8s off the bench against Japan, France and Italy showcased a player who doesn’t need 80 minutes to impose himself; 20 will do just fine.

Even Manie Libbok, often scrutinised as a starter, proved devastating as a finisher. His 8.5 against New Zealand and 8 against Argentina came from injecting pace, variety and ambition into tired defensive lines. In the late stages of Tests, when structure loosens and instinct becomes currency, he looks like a luxury playmaker few opponents can afford to give space.

The frightening part isn’t how good the Springboks were in 2025. It’s how many of the lessons from this year point toward a team that still has room to grow. The young guns are sharpening, the veterans are settling, the bench is mutating into something close to unfair.

Maybe sport is cyclical. Maybe this will end. But nothing in these ratings, or in this team, suggests that moment is anywhere close.

The Top 10 Springboks in 2025, according to our player ratings*

The worst 10 Springboks in 2025, according to our player ratings*

*Applies to players who’d played four-plus Tests