15 Players, 15 Schools: The Fascinating Story Behind the Springboks XV for 3rd All Blacks Test
- The Springboks’ starting XV has produced a remarkable school rugby statistic ahead of the 3rd Test
- Every player in the team attended a different school, creating a striking spread of backgrounds
- The unusual school list also prompted an important comment from SA Rugby’s high-performance boss
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Source: Getty Images
The Springboks’ starting XV for the 3rd Test against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium on Saturday, 5 September 2026, has produced a remarkable statistic: 15 players, 15 different schools.
It means there is no repeat institution anywhere in the run-on team, from Ox Nche at loosehead prop through to Cheslin Kolbe on the right wing.
X user James Styan made the observation and also noted the limited representation from the Paarl and Stellenbosch school rugby corridor.
“Isn’t that a fascinating stat? Only player from a Paarl/Stellenbosch school in the run on 15 is Kurt-Lee Arendse,” Styan wrote as reported by SA Rugby Magazine.
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His observation prompted a response from SA Rugby general manager of high performance Dave Wessels.
Full list of Springboks players and their schools
The diversity becomes clearer when you lay out the entire starting XV.
Position | Springbok | School |
1 | Ox Nche | HTS Louis Botha |
2 | Malcolm Marx | King Edward VII School |
3 | Wilco Louw | HTS Drostdy |
4 | Eben Etzebeth | Tygerberg High School |
5 | Ruan Nortje | Wonderboom High School |
6 | Siya Kolisi (captain) | Grey High School |
7 | Pieter-Steph du Toit | Swartland High School |
8 | Jasper Wiese | Upington High School |
9 | Cobus Reinach | Grey College |
10 | Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu | Bishops |
11 | Ethan Hooker | Westville Boys’ High |
12 | Damian de Allende | Milnerton High School |
13 | Jesse Kriel | Maritzburg College |
14 | Kurt-Lee Arendse | Paulus Joubert |
15 | Cheslin Kolbe | Brackenfell High School |
Some familiar names appear on that list, but several schools do not traditionally dominate conversations around Springbok production.
That is part of what makes the statistic noteworthy.
Grey College stands alone among the Big Five
The school backgrounds become even more interesting when viewed against South Africa’s traditional schoolboy rugby landscape.
Grey College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Paarl Boys’ High, Paarl Gimnasium and Affies are commonly regarded as the country’s Big Five rugby schools.
Yet only Grey College appears in this particular Springbok starting XV. Cobus Reinach is the Grey College representative, while the rest of the team comes from 14 separate institutions.
That should not be interpreted as a judgement on the other major rugby schools. It simply illustrates that the Springboks’ current starting team has been drawn from a considerably broader base.
The list includes schools from Johannesburg, Durban, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and other parts of the country.
Dave Wessels wants selectors to keep looking
The school statistic also ties into a wider point about player identification. Wessels said about 85% of the current squad came through the Elite Player Development (EPD) programme.
However, he cautioned against allowing that pathway to become a prerequisite for selection.
“I think 85% of current squad came through EPD [Elite Player Development] program but we must be careful that that isn’t a self fulfilling prophecy (ie we select them because they are in EPD),” Wessels said.
He then pointed to another example of why selectors need to keep their options open.
“A number of Junior Boks from this year didn’t play Craven Week, so we must never get tired of looking,” Wessels added.
Source: Getty Images
What the school list tells us about the Springboks
The significance of the statistic is therefore bigger than simply naming where 15 players went to school.
The XV illustrates the variety of environments from which international rugby players can emerge.
Kolisi came through Grey High School. Etzebeth attended Tygerberg High School. Wiese came from Upington High School, while Nche developed at HTS Louis Botha.
Alongside them are players from established rugby schools such as Grey College, Bishops, Maritzburg College and Westville Boys’ High.
There is no single school template behind this Springbok XV. Instead, 15 different schools have contributed 15 players who will now share the same jersey when South Africa faces New Zealand in a crucial 3rd Test.
Dave Rennie cools scrum controversy before 3rd Test
Briefly News previously reported that All Blacks coach Dave Rennie had become embroiled in a scrum dispute with Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus following the second Test.
Rennie had questioned South Africa’s scrum tactics, prompting a response from Erasmus and adding another talking point to an already intense series. However, ahead of the 3rd Test at FNB Stadium, Rennie appeared keen to move beyond the issue.
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Source: Briefly News
