Siya Kolisi’s record-breaking Springbok captaincy journey: Year-by-year breakdown

International Rugby

3 min read
Siya Kolisi became South Africa's most successful Test captain this past weekend after claiming his 55th win as Springbok skipper. | AFP
Siya Kolisi became South Africa's most successful Test captain this past weekend after claiming his 55th win as Springbok skipper. | AFPPicture: AFP

Siya Kolisi’s record-breaking journey to becoming the most successful captain in Springbok history is a story defined by historic triumphs and unmatched consistency.

Since taking over the armband as South Africa's first black Test skipper, Kolisi has led the green and gold through back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles, a British & Irish Lions series victory, and multiple Rugby Championship crowns.

Kolisi was officially appointed as captain by coach Rassie Erasmus in June 2018. Previously, he had made his debut for the Boks in 2013 against Scotland, becoming Springbok No 851. Before taking over the captaincy, he played 32 times for the Boks, including a handful of matches at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The 35-year old currently has 106 Test caps under his belt, having captain 74 of those. He is 10 matches short of equaling John Smit's record as Bok skipper. 

Here, we look at every milestone, tour, and tournament that built his legacy, culminating in his record 55th Test victory at FNB Stadium last weekend.

2018

  • England Incoming Tour: Led SA to a 2-1 series victory.
  • The Rugby Championship: Captained matches against Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, including the historic 36-34 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington.
  • End-of-Year Europe Tour: Captained fixtures against England, France, Scotland, and Wales.

2019

  • Rugby World Cup – Japan: After missing the Rugby Championship, he captained the Boks in six of their seven matches during the tournament, including pool matches against New Zealand, Italy, and Canada. In the knockouts led the Boks to victories over Japan (quarter-final), Wales (semi-final), and the historic 32-12 final victory over England in Yokohama.

2021

  • Georgia Test: Warm-up match ahead of the BI Lions series.
  • British & Irish Lions Series: Captained the Boks to a hard-fought 2-1 historic series victory.
  • The Rugby Championship: Captained matches against Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand in the Queensland bubble due to Covid.
  • End-of-Year Europe Tour: Captained fixtures against Wales, Scotland, and England.

2022

  • Wales Incoming Tour: Captained South Africa in the 2-1 series win.
  • The Rugby Championship: Led the team across matches home and away against New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina.
  • End-of-Year Europe Tour: Captained fixtures against Ireland, France, Italy, and England.

2023

Kolisi made a miraculous recovery from a severe knee injury just in time to captain the side at the World Cup in France that year.

  • World Cup Warm-ups: Captained the Boks against Wales and the record 35-7 win over New Zealand at Twickenham.
  • Rugby World Cup – France: Captained South Africa through their gruelling title defence, including matches in the Pool stage against Scotland, Ireland and Tonga. In the knockouts the Boks beat France 29-28 (quarter-final), England 16-15 (semi-final), and in their narrow 12-11 final victory over New Zealand at the Stade de France under his leadership

2024

  • Ireland Incoming Tour: Retained the captaincy to lead a fierce 1-1 drawn series against Ireland.
  • The Rugby Championship: Captained the Boks against Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, successfully lifting the Rugby Championship trophy as a player for the first time.
  • End-of-Year Europe Tour: Captained the team in November internationals against England and Wales.

2025

  • Mid-Year Internationals and Rugby Championship: Led the Springboks through another dominant Southern Hemisphere campaign, securing consecutive Rugby Championship titles.
  • End-of-Year Tour: Captained autumn internationals in Europe in a clean sweep of France, Italy, Ireland and Wales

2026

  • Rugby's Greatest Rivalry: Returned from injury for the second Test after missing out at Ellis Park in their first Test loss of the series. Inspired a 33-26 victory in Cape Town and followed it up with a 29-24 victory over the All Blacks at FNB Stadium. This marked his 55th Test win as captain, officially surpassing John Smit to stand alone as the most successful captain in South African rugby history.

Notes

  • The Springboks did not play in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
  • Excludes result of fourth Test v New Zealand in Baltimore on Saturday.