Rugby union in South Africa
| Rugby union in South Africa | |
|---|---|
Springbok Percy Montgomery weaves his way towards the try-line against Samoa on 9 June 2007 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Governing body | South African Rugby Union |
| National teams | South Africa national rugby union team South Africa women's national rugby union team South Africa national rugby sevens team South Africa women's national rugby sevens team |
| Nicknames |
|
| First played | 1862, Cape Town |
| Registered players | 651,146 (total) 121,663 (adult) 204,119 (teen) 325,364 (pre-teen) |
| Clubs | 1,526 |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Rugby union in South Africa is a highly popular team sport, along with cricket and soccer, and is widely played all over the country. South Africa has the largest proportion of rugby union supporters in the world with a 2013 SMG Insight report indicating 70% of the people liking the sport.
The national team is among the strongest in the world and has been ranked in at least the top seven of the World Rugby Rankings since its inception in 2003. The country hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and won again in 2007, 2019 and 2023.
As with much else in South Africa, the organisation and playing of rugby union has been entangled with politics, and racial politics in particular.