With nine days until the Springboks start their title defence, SARugbymag.co.za takes a look at the greatest scrum-halves to wear the green and gold at the Rugby World Cup.

Joost van der Westhuizen

Widely regarded as one of the greatest scrum-halves of all time, Joost van der Westhuizen captained South Africa on 10 occasions and played 89 Tests, making him the fourth most-capped Springbok in history.

Van der Westhuizen played in three World Cups, lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in 1995, and his 38 tries were good for first place in Bok history until Bryan Habana broke his try-scoring record. A physical threat on attack and a ferocious defender, his head-on tackle of giant All Blacks wing Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final is the stuff of legend.

Fourie du Preez

One of the few who can challenge Van der Westhuizen for the title of greatest-ever scrum-half, Fourie du Preez was one of the stars of the 2007 World Cup, where he started six matches, his tactical kicking and outstanding vision key to the Springboks’ success.

Du Preez played in two further World Cups for the Springboks – 2011 and 2015 – captaining his country in the latter, where he scored a famous try to beat Wales in the quarter-final.

Faf de Klerk

Perhaps not at the same skill-level as his predecessors at their peak, Faf de Klerk makes up for it with pure heart and tenacity. Since his debut Test series against Ireland, De Klerk has set about showing that size doesn’t matter, making crucial tackles on giant ball-carriers.

While De Klerk started out as a sniping scrum-half at the Lions, it was his kicking game and defence that helped the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2019. Having made the cut for 2023, De Klerk is set to win his 50th Test cap at the France-based tournament.