Being crowned as back-to-back World Cup champions has seen the Springboks grow the value of their brand to R2.2b.

According to a report by Brand Finance, the Springboks are fourth in a ranking of the top 10 strongest national rugby brands, currently led by the All Blacks.

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South Africa’s national team has been given a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 81.5, behind France, England and New Zealand, but improved from 2019, when they had a score under 80.

The Boks’ successful defence of their World Cup title has seen the value of their brand grow by 44% to $117m (R2.2b), which puts them sixth overall.

The team’s brand is further strengthened by captain Siya Kolisi, an inspirational figure and one of the most recognisable and popular players in the game.

SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer told Sunday newspaper Rapport that he believes the Springboks can become the best brand in rugby.

“We can become the biggest sports brand in rugby,” Oberholzer said.

“We are definitely still about ten to 15 years behind the All Blacks in terms of positioning our brand. But with our successes, we can start to catch up.