Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch has produced the most Springboks – including Paul Roos himself – but what is the most common surname? Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

The most common Springbok SURNAMES: It’s no ‘joke’!

Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch has produced the most Springboks – including Paul Roos himself – but what is the most common surname?

by Garrin Lambley

27-03-2024 18:45

in Springboks

Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch has produced the most Springboks – including Paul Roos himself – but what is the most common surname? Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

As reported by The South African website, Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch has produced the most Springboks – including Paul Roos himself.

With several Easter Schools Rugby Festivals set to take place around the country in the coming days, it’s the ideal time to list the schools to have educated the most Springboks.

As of the conclusion of last year’s Rugby World Cup in France, 933 players have been capped at Springbok level.

Springbok No 1 was Benjamin Duff back in 1891, while Gerhard Steenekamp is the 933rd and most recent player to have donned the famed green and gold colours of the reigning world champions.

No fewer than 15 schools can count 10 or more Springboks as Old Boys.

Rank	School	Players
1	Paul Roos Gymnasium	54
2	Grey College	46
3	Bishops	42
4	SACS	32
5	Paarl Gimnasium	30
T6	Kimberley Boys’ High	23
T6	Paarl Boys’ High	23
8	Rondebosch	21
T9	Grey High School	17
T9	Maritzburg College	17
11	Wynberg Boys High	16
12	Dale College	13
13	St Andrew’s (Grahamstown)	12
T14	Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool	11
T14	Hottentots-Holland	11

Click here for the full list of schools

Paul Roos Gymnasium leads the way with 54 Springboks, four of whom are still active: Willie le Roux, Steven Kitshoff, Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse.

But among those 933 Springboks, which SURNAME is most common?

The answer is no ‘Van der Merwe’ joke!

Top 12 most common Springbok surnames:

Rank	Surname	Number
1	Van der Merwe	12
2	Du Plessis	11
T3	Louw	10
T3	Morkel	10
T5	Botha	9
T5	Du Preez	9
T5	Du Toit	9
T8	Smith	8
T8	Van Zyl	8
T10	De Villiers	7
T10	Le Roux	7
T10	Muller	7

These are the 12 Van der Merwe’s to have represented the Springboks (in alphabetical order):

Name	Springbok #
Akker van der Merwe	902
Alvi van der Merwe	221
Bertus van der Merwe	323
Carel van der Merwe	703
Fiks van der Merwe	273
Flip van der Merwe	818
Flippie van der Merwe	526
Franco van der Merwe	846
Heinke van der Merwe	790
Johann van der Merwe	433
Marcel van der Merwe	858
Stompie van der Merwe	365