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| Nicknames |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Springbok | ||
| Union | South African Rugby Union | ||
| Head coach | Philip Snyman | ||
| Captain | Selvyn Davids | ||
| Mostcaps | Branco du Preez (85) (Most Tournament Caps) | ||
| Top scorer | Cecil Afrika (1,430) | ||
| Top try scorer | Seabelo Senatla (224) | ||
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| Rugby World Cup Sevens | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in1993) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (1997) | ||
TheSouth African national rugby sevens team, commonly known as theSpringbok Sevens,[1] competes in theWorld Rugby Sevens Series, theRugby World Cup Sevens, theSummer Olympic Games and theCommonwealth Games. Overall, the team has won theWorld Rugby Sevens Series 4 times, as well as having won 40 tournaments in the series.
After readmission to international sport following the ending of the apartheid ban, the team played their first sevens tournament in the 1993Hong Kong Sevens, and also participated in the1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens. They also played in the Hong Kong Sevens for the next two seasons. In 1996, they also took part in thePunta Del Este Sevens inUruguay and theDubai Sevens.
They participated in the1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens the following year as well as in 1998, they played three South American tournaments – the Mar Del Plata Sevens inArgentina, the Punta Del Este Sevens and the Viña del Mar Sevens inChile.1999 saw them participate in the Mar Del Plata Sevens, the Santiago Sevens in Chile, theFiji Sevens, theHong Kong Sevens, theJapan Sevens and theParis Sevens.
At the end of 1999, the firstWorld Rugby Sevens Series (then the IRB Sevens World Series) started and the team have been participating in that series ever since.In addition to the Sevens Series, they also played in theRugby World Cup Sevens, theCommonwealth Games, theWorld Games and, from 2016 onwards, theOlympic Games.
The team's nickname, "Blitzboks", is derived from "blitz" an Afrikaans word meaning lightning, and the derivative of Springbok ("Bok"), the official emblem of the South African rugby team.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–2011 | Canterbury | SASOL |
| 2011–2014 | Absa | |
| 2014–2016 | Asics | |
| 2016–2018 | Steinhoff | |
| 2018–2022 | Castle Lager | |
| 2022–2023 | WeBuyCars | |
| 2023–2025 | Nike | |
| 2025–Present | FNB |
| Season | Position |
|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 5th |
| 2000–01 | 5th |
| 2001–02 | 2nd |
| 2002–03 | 4th |
| 2003–04 | 5th |
| 2004–05 | 4th |
| 2005–06 | 3rd |
| 2006–07 | 4th |
| 2007–08 | 2nd |
| 2008–09 | 1st |
| 2009–10 | 6th |
| 2010–11 | 2nd |
| 2011–12 | 5th |
| 2012–13 | 2nd |
| 2013–14 | 2nd |
| 2014–15 | 2nd |
| 2015–16 | 2nd |
| 2016–17 | 1st |
| 2017–18 | 1st |
| 2018–19 | 4th |
| 2019–20 | 2nd |
| 2021 | 1st |
| 2021–22 | 2nd |
| 2022–23 | 7th |
| 2023–24 | 7th |
| 2024–25 | 4th |
| Total | - |
| Event | Position |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 6th |
| 2025 | 1st |
| Total | - |
South Africa won the following tournaments on the Sevens World Series since its inception in1999–2000:
45 Tournament wins up to 8 February 2026
| Olympic Games record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 2016 | Bronze medal match | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
 2020 | Fifth place match | 5th | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
 2024 | Bronze medal match | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 2/2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| Olympic Games History | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Pool stage | South Africa  24 – 0 Spain | Win |
| South Africa 26 – 0 France | Win | ||
South Africa 5 – 12 Australia | Loss | ||
| Quarterfinals | South Africa 22 – 5 Australia | Win | |
| Semifinals | South Africa 7 – 5 Great Britain | Loss | |
| Bronze Medal Match | South Africa 54 – 14 Japan | Win | |
| 2020 | Pool stage | South Africa 33 – 14 Ireland | Win |
South Africa 14 – 5 Kenya | Win | ||
South Africa 17 – 12 United States | Win | ||
| Quarterfinals | South Africa 14 – 19 Argentina | Loss | |
| 5th Place Semifinals | South Africa 22 – 19 Australia | Win | |
| 5th Place Match | South Africa 28 – 7 United States | Win | |
| 2024 | Pool stage | South Africa 5 – 10 Ireland | Loss |
South Africa 5 – 17 New Zealand | Loss | ||
| South Africa 49 – 5 Japan | Win | ||
| Quarterfinals | South Africa 14 – 7 New Zealand | Win | |
| Semifinals | South Africa 5 – 19 France | Loss | |
| Bronze Medal Match | South Africa 26 – 19 Australia | Win | |
| World Cup Sevens record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | |||
 1993 | Quarterfinals | 5th | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | |||
 1997 | Final | 2nd | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2001 | Quarterfinals | 5th | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |||
 2005 | Quarterfinals | 5th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |||
 2009 | Quarterfinals | 5th | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||
 2013 | Quarterfinals | 5th | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | Semifinals | 3rd | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 7th place final | 7th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 Titles | 8/8 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 0 | |||
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| Tournament | Placing |
|---|---|
| 2005 Duisburg | 2nd (Silver) |
| 2009 Kaohsiung[2] | 3rd (Bronze) |
| 2013 Cali[3] | 1st (Gold) |
The following players have been selected to represent South Africa during the2025–26 SVNS tournaments which began on 29 November 2025.
Note: Caps reflect the total number ofRugby Sevens events competed in as of the2026 Australia Sevens.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Brits | Forward | (1997-04-27)27 April 1997 (age 28) | 14 | Boland Cavaliers |
| Zain Davids | Forward | (1997-05-04)4 May 1997 (age 28) | 64 | Western Province |
| Christie Grobbelaar | Forward | (2000-05-25)25 May 2000 (age 25) | 30 | Sharks |
| Ryan Oosthuizen | Forward | (1995-05-22)22 May 1995 (age 30) | 66 | Unattached |
| Zander Reynders | Forward | (2000-12-19)19 December 2000 (age 25) | 11 | Unattached |
| Siviwe Soyizwapi | Forward | (1992-12-07)7 December 1992 (age 33) | 68 | Unattached |
| Impi Visser (c) | Forward | (1995-05-30)30 May 1995 (age 30) | 54 | Unattached |
| Ronald Brown | Back | (1995-09-02)2 September 1995 (age 30) | 25 | Western Province |
| Gino Cupido | Back | (2005-09-28)28 September 2005 (age 20) | 1 | Western Province |
| Selvyn Davids | Back | (1994-03-26)26 March 1994 (age 31) | 51 | Unattached |
| Donavan Don | Back | (2002-02-18)18 February 2002 (age 23) | 15 | Boland Cavaliers |
| Ricardo Duarttee | Back | (1998-03-15)15 March 1998 (age 27) | 25 | Unattached |
| Luan Giliomee | Back | (2006-06-07)7 June 2006 (age 19) | 2 | Unattached |
| Dewald Human | Back | (1995-05-19)19 May 1995 (age 30) | 34 | Unattached |
| Sebastiaan Jobb | Back | (1999-05-20)20 May 1999 (age 26) | 7 | Unattached |
| Tristan Leyds | Back | (1997-05-24)24 May 1997 (age 28) | 18 | Western Province |
| Quewin Nortje | Back | (2003-01-14)14 January 2003 (age 23) | 14 | Western Province |
| Nabo Sokoyi | Back | (2002-05-22)22 May 2002 (age 23) | 3 | Unattached |
| Shilton van Wyk | Back | (1999-12-22)22 December 1999 (age 26) | 35 | Western Province |
| Renaldo Young | Back | (1998-02-12)12 February 1998 (age 28) | 1 | Boland Cavaliers |
The previous South African Sevens squads are as follows:
The following tables show the leading career South Africa players based on statistics from theWorld Rugby Sevens Series. Players in bold are still active.
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The following South Africa Sevens players have been recognised at theWorld Rugby Awards since 2004:[7]
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