Best South Africa rugby jerseys, ranked

The South Africa rugby jersey is up there with the most famous in the world. Sure, New Zealand’s all black kit may give the team its nickname, but the Springboks’ classic green and gold design is every bit as iconic.

It’s also safe to say that no other rugby shirt is quite so intertwined with its country’s political history. For many years the South Africa rugby jersey was associated with the apartheid regime, but when the World Cup came to South Africa in 1995, newly elected president Nelson Mandela believed it could be used as a force for good to help reunite his country.

 

This guide to South Africa rugby jerseys ranked is a journey through the evolution of the green and gold kit. We start with the new Springbok jerseys that launched ahead of the team’s victorious run to the 2023 World Cup, before working our way from the Mandela shirt forward to the present day. The Springboks have worn a mind-boggling number of kit designs in that time, ranging from all-time classics to bona fide style disasters. You’ll find many of them below.

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2023-present

If you’re going to become the first team to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the fourth time, you might as well look good doing it. Nike’s 2023 kit – the manufacturer’s first in 20 years – is one of the best South Africa rugby jerseys of all time.

Aside from the gold bands around the sleeves, it’s essentially the same as Asics’ classy 2017 effort (see below). It may even be a slight improvement, seeing as the composition of the Nike swoosh, team badges and sponsor logo is close to perfect.

Editor’s verdict: Simple but incredibly effective. Hopefully Nike will resist the urge to release a new Springbok jersey for a long, long time. 9/10

 

It’s a well known fact that football clubs use their away kits for experimentation. That’s more and more the case in rugby, too, and the current South Africa change strip is one of the best examples.

This busy “hyper-jade” and white number won’t be to everyone’s tastes but is nonetheless a memorable addition to the Springbok wardrobe. There’s also a third all-white shirt the team wear to avoid colour clashes against Ireland.

Editor’s verdict: In time this new Springbok jersey could become as legendary as Arsenal’s famous 1991 “bruised banana” design. 7/10

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The best South Africa rugby jerseys, ranked

1995

Many people saw it as a symbol of apartheid in South Africa, but Nelson Mandela believed the Springboks jersey could help unite a reborn nation hosting its first rugby World Cup. The famous shirt subsequently became integral to one of the most memorable images of the ’90s, as the newly elected president – kitted out in green and gold – presented Springbok captain Francois Pienaar with the trophy.

The shirt the team wore in 1995 was essentially the design the team had been using for decades, and remains the definitive South Africa rugby jersey. A Nike version of this amateur-era design is still available to buy.

Editor’s verdict: A bona fide classic and one of the most iconic kits in rugby history. Still the best South Africa rugby jersey of all time. 10/10

1999

When Nike took over the lucrative Springboks rugby jersey contract following that famous World Cup win, they initially kept things subtle. Indeed, the most significant adornments on their earliest kits were the swoosh logo, and South Africa’s new flag appearing on the sleeve.

However, by the time the 1999 tournament rolled around, the manufacturers were starting to put their own stamp on the kit – though the subtle stripes on the shoulders, collar and shorts were hardly a massive break with tradition.

Editor’s verdict: The stripes are trying so hard to go unnoticed that they might as well not be there. 6/10

2001

We were still in the realms of the traditional baggy, collared rugby shirt – a stark contrast with Adidas’ slick All Blacks jerseys – but Nike were getting a little bolder with the design.

The gold trim is slightly shifted and rather chunkier, while the large Castle Lager sponsor logo signifies international rugby’s gradual shift into the billboard-esque realms of the football shirt.

Editor’s verdict: Still not a radical departure from the classic Springboks jersey but the bolder stripes more than justify their existence. 7/10

2003

After this short-lived World Cup kit, Nike wouldn’t make another South Africa rugby jersey for the best part of two decades.

This shirt is a radical departure from its predecessor, with a more figure-hugging cut and a collar-free neckline. The kit’s design echoes England’s famous Webb Ellis Cup winning combo, but that prominent block of gold around the neck looks like something you’d put on your baby to catch their dribble.

Editor’s verdict: The Springboks enter a new era of rugby kit design but these shirts are more functional than stylish. 5/10

Related: South Africa rugby fixtures

2004

The Springboks bid their World Cup uniforms a hasty farewell, as New Zealand-based rugby specialists Canterbury took over manufacturing duties.

Their first effort is a much more traditional design, reverting to a looser fit and reinstating the collar – albeit with an open, V-neck-esque design strangely reminiscent of an English football kit from the 1970s. There’s also a new sponsor in the form of South African chemical giant Sasol.

Editor’s verdict: In the main it’s a pleasingly classical design, but we’re guessing the designers didn’t mean for that neckline to look quite so disco. 6/10

2007

If Canterbury’s first effort for the Springboks looked to the past, the kit they designed for the side’s run to World Cup glory in 2007 was defiantly state-of-the-art.

It’s the team’s tightest shirt yet, and features the rubberised grips that would go on to become a key feature of pro-rugby kit. It’s also a radical departure from the traditional South Africa rugby jersey design, with a large flash of white on the front, some overly fussy gold edging, and the famous gold collar relegated to supporting player.

Editor’s verdict: Functional rather than elegant and the least memorable of the Springboks’ four World Cup-winning strips. 4/10

2009

Aside from ditching the fiddly gold edging, the Springboks rugby jerseys the team wore for the 2009 British & Irish Lions Tour are remarkably similar to those they sported during the World Cup.

Look closely, however, and you’ll spot a radical change to the composition of the shirt, with the famous Springbok logo shifted to make way for the King Protea badge – a move that brought SA Rugby in line with other South African sporting federations.

Editor’s verdict: We’re still not sold on the large flash of white around the collar area, but this cleaner design is a big improvement on its World Cup predecessor. 6/10

2011

Notice anything missing on this Rugby World Cup 2011 kit? With the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) stipulating that the tournament logo must appear on the right-hand side of the shirt, and the King Protea flower taking precedence, the iconic Springbok was relegated to the sleeve. (It would return to its usual spot after the tournament, along with new banking sponsor Absa.)

Otherwise, this South Africa rugby jersey feels like an amalgamation of numerous design ideas from the previous decade.

Editor’s verdict: One of the Springboks’ better collar-free designs but the post-World Cup version, without the gold trim, is classier. 6/10

2014

Japanese manufacturers Asics picked up the Springboks contract and hit the ground running.

The narrow bands of gold around the sleeves are a neat addition to the otherwise minimalist design, and even the Asics logo feels integral to the look. The faux collar, meanwhile, gives it the feel of a polo shirt – if it weren’t so crowded with badges and sponsors, you could almost imagine wearing this South Africa rugby jersey on a night out. Almost.

Editor’s verdict: Elegant in its simplicity, it’s a welcome callback to the classic original shirt. 8/10

2015

While Asics’ first kit occupied the formal end of the rugby kit spectrum, their follow-up Rugby World Cup 2015 design was defiantly casual.

The loose, t-shirt-like collar makes it look like something you might sleep in, while those oversized gold bands around the sleeves steal attention away from the rest of the kit. There’s also a new sponsor, Blue Label Telecoms.

Editor’s verdict: It’s really hard to make this South Africa rugby jersey look good. 3/10

Related: Top 12 Springboks players

2017

Asics resurrected the gold collar for this smart design. It’s essentially a minimalist reinvention of the classy 2014 kit, with no adornments beyond the badges, kit manufacturer logo and a new sponsor, telecommunications company MTN.

Editor’s verdict: One of the best designs of the professional era. 9/10

2018

Springboks fans needed very deep pockets for a period in the late 2010s, as Asics rolled out kit after kit after kit.

And you have to wonder if there was any point to this 2018 update, seeing as the only significant alterations to the previous vintage are the white Asics logo, and the grandad collar beloved of many an All Blacks kit.

Editor’s verdict: An unnecessary (and slightly retrograde) evolution. 7/10

2019

South Africa’s third World Cup-winning kit is one of Asics’ weaker efforts. No complaints about the general look and the subtle stripes of gold on the flanks and down the back. The problem is that weird collar area, whose unnecessarily large expanse of white suggests all the players are wearing pristine white vests – even though they’re not.

Fair play to Asics, though – aside from the 2021 Lions tour (see below), they stuck with this kit until Nike reunited with the Springboks in 2023.

Editor’s verdict: Diminished by the tease of a white base layer that does not exist. 5/10

2021

Yes, the British & Irish Lions only tour South Africa once every 12 years, but did the occasion really warrant a one-off kit that would be worn in just three games? SA Rugby and Asics decided it did, but sadly the resulting Springboks rugby jersey doesn’t feel that special.

It’s essentially the previous kit with a commemorative Springbok badge, the gold stripes removed, and a slightly smaller block of white below the collar.