With 15 days until the 2023 Rugby World Cup kicks off, SARugbymag.co.za takes a look at the greatest fullbacks to wear the green and gold at the tournament.
Percy Montgomery
Still South Africa’s leading points scorer despite retiring from Test rugby nearly 15 years ago, Percy Montgomery was the go-to fullback in two of the Springboks’ most successful periods.
Montgomery held the No 15 jersey when the Boks set a record for consecutive wins under Nick Mallett between 1997 and 1998 and then, after being recalled by Jake White in 2004, helped South Africa win the Tri-Nations and 2007 World Cup. In 2008, he became the first Springbok to earn 100 Test caps.
Willie le Roux
A key figure in the Rassie Erasmus era, Le Roux is closing in on becoming the next Springbok centurion. The 34-year-old helped the Springboks win the World Cup in 2019 and come from a series-opening defeat to slay the British & Irish Lions in 2021.
A little too late or a monkey off the All Blacks' back? 🐒@mark_keohane and Zels drop their predictions for the eagerly awaited clash between the Boks and New Zealand at Twickenham 🇿🇦v🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/BfK1Ht1a7p
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) August 24, 2023
Despite often being maligned for his error-rate, Le Roux has been at the core of South Africa’s creative hub on attack for the better part of a decade, with his 45 try-assists the most of any Bok player.
Andre Joubert
Nicknamed the “Rolls Royce” of fullbacks, Andre Joubert had everything you would want out of a fullback – defensively solid, excellent under the high ball and gifted with superb vision on attack.
His left boot and elusive running made him a major threat to defences and produced some of South Africa’s best tries during the short period he held the No 15 jersey in 34 Tests.
Joubert was the first-choice fullback in the 1995 World Cup and memorably played in the semi-final with a broken hand, fielding multiple high balls in atrocious wet-weather conditions against France.
Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
