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BUSINESS NEWS - As one of only two sides to lift the Rugby World Cup three times, South Africa is a nation that always seems to peak at the right time, and it displayed this at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, wrestling the title away from New Zealand after they had enjoyed two straight triumphs at the competition.
And ahead of the defence of the World Cup in 2023, it has formed an important question: Who is the greatest-ever Springbok?
Across their history, the Springboks have boasted some of the best talent to ever take to the field but who are the best of the best?
According to the main betting sites, we have offered up a shortlist.
Francois Pienaar
Francois Pienaar may have only collected 29 caps for South Africa, but he will surely go down as one of the best to put on that famous green jersey. Debuting as open-side flanker back in 1993, Pienaar captained his nation in every single one of his appearances. While his time as an international player was hardly long, the old mantra of 'short and sweet' rings true here as he was able to spearhead South Africa's Rugby World Cup title success in 1995.
Pienaar was an exceptional player on the field and a ferocious presence on the floor, in the scrum and both with and without the ball. His ability to showcase all of the best attributes in a forward made him a household name in South Africa.
But what made him a worldwide name were his exploits at the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the incredible moment he was able to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy with then-president Nelson Mandela standing next to him. It is not just one of the most iconic moments in sport but in history too.
Joost van der Westhuizen
An unparalleled talent around the breakdown, Joost van der Westhuizen was a scrum-half of incredible ability when it came to setting up or scoring tries. With the ball in his own hands, he was a real sniper on the pitch, running in for a very impressive 38 tries on his way to 190 points scored for his beloved South Africa.
Van der Westhuizen notched 89 caps for the Springboks, and he always provided a presence that could sneak through the smallest of gaps in the opposition defence. This in itself set up countless opportunities for both himself and his teammates.
Either the opposing team would be so obsessed with ensuring that there were no gaps around the breakdown that it would create holes elsewhere for bigger ball carriers to exploit, or they would be so worried about his ability to move the ball quickly with a flat pass from the back of the ruck that they would start to drift to cover the flanks, giving Van der Westhuizen the space he exploited so well.
Having sadly passed away in 2017, Van der Westhuizen was a player that is fondly remembered for what he did for South Africa, and he must go down as one of South Africa's greatest-ever sportsmen.
Bryan Habana
In a time when there was a glut of wingers with searing pace, it was always going to be difficult to stand out and prove they were the best, but that is exactly what Bryan Habana did. The winger amassed an impressive 124 caps for the Springboks and brought to South Africa the one thing that every side wants, raw pace.
Habana's ability to fly down the wing was consistently spotted and exploited by his teammates, and he managed to cross the line 67 times for the Springboks. Habana may not have been the most physical of players, but his try-scoring record speaks for itself and he was one of the firm favourites with bookmakers. He was able to showcase the fact that if the opposition cannot get close enough to touch you, then it doesn't matter how big or small you are. This is something Habana epitomised.
A 2007 World Cup crown alongside the joint-highest collection of tries at the Rugby World Cup with 15 scores is supremely impressive, while his haul of eight tries at the 2007 Rugby World Cup means he has scored the joint-most at a single competition. Clearly, Habana's ability to score tries was a feature of his game and it helped to make South Africa one of the best teams in the world.
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