The most notable were the efforts of Springbok captain Gary Teichmann who was born in Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1967. The towering eighthman spent the first 11 years of his childhood in Rhodesia before moving to South Africa, where he attended Hilton College.
Though he did not captain the Boks in a World Cup, he led the side to their record winning streak of 17 Test matches in a row during 1997 and 1998. Even though the Springboks won two World Cups in 1995 and 2007, the team Teichmann led was often considered the best in the history of South African rugby for their domination of world rugby. In that record run the Bokke won the 1998 Tri Nations, going unbeaten for the entire campaign, including wins away from home against Australia and a powerful New Zealand team.
In his time at the helm, Teichmann returned at 72 percent winning percentage from 39 Tests. Teichmann played 42 Tests for the Springboks before he was controversially dropped ahead of the 1999 Rugby World Cup where the men in green were defending their title. Ironically, it was another Rhodesian-born player which replaced Teichmann in that World Cup squad.
That man would be a young Bobby Skinstad. The 23-year-old was preferred at loose forward for the World Cup. Skinstad made little impression on the Springbok team during the World Cup, led by Joost van der Westhuizen.
