Willie le Roux was never made to be a quiet player.
A baller in the most intriguing sense of the word. A maverick who doesn’t fit the mould. A player who can infuriate and inspire you - often in the same game.
Le Roux is a rebel with a Springbok cause.
And on Saturday he will reach the milestone he has long waited for.
Against Italy in Gqeberha he will earn his 100th cap - bringing a historic career full circle from his debut against the same opposition in 2013.
12 years in the making 💯
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 10, 2025
Willie le Roux's debut vs Willie le Roux's century 👀#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/FATNpvvP2x
One thing is for sure. Willie le Roux isn’t a quiet player, and he certainly doesn’t keep Springbok fans quiet either.
A misunderstood genius, everyone seems to have an opinion. But those opinions which matter have made him only the eighth Springbok to achieve this goal. A rare feat indeed.
Few would ever say he doesn’t have talent. An abundance of it. The rare feat in modern professional sport of seeing a gap, of summing up a situation in a split second, and turning a relatively modest move into a try-scoring moment of glory.
Le Roux is the assist king. The undisputed playmaker who turned Springbok fortunes around. The player who wears his heart on his sleeve, never hides his emotions and always, always wants his team to win.
ASSIST KING
His tackling may not have been his strong point, but ask any of the coaches who have had him in their team and they will gush out superlatives of his value and his mesmerising talent. How he coaches others on the field and how he marshalls a backline.
Le Roux has been one of the most solid players in field position in a Springbok jersey, and he has been exceptional on attack.
His role at the Boks allowed him to pop up as a second playmaker, to keep the opposition guessing and allow the Springboks to shift gear and score some devastating tries.
There never has been a player quite like Willie le Roux. And chances are we may see variations of his character, of his talent or temperament, but we will never see the same again.
Willie le Roux will go down as a rugby genius, and that statement alone will bring up fierce debate between his supporters and detractors.
But all along he will always know - he gave his all. Le Roux never held back, he always put his team first and often, when the going got tough, he was the difference on the scoreboard with subtle touches that helped his side get over the line.
NOT ALL GENIUS PAID OFF
Of course when a player is this assertive, is this competitive, there are moments. Those moments when they try to force a situation. When things go wrong. The line between genius and madness is oh-so-close and Le Roux has strayed on the wrong side of it more than once.
But that hasn’t stopped him from going out and trying again. Far from being the shrinking violet, Le Roux has gone out again - amid the criticism from the fans - and he has played on.
Every single time he has simply bounced back and backed himself, and Springbok rugby has been the fortunate ones who have benefitted.
The misconceptions have been rectified - slowly at first - but even Rassie Erasmus confirmed he had been wrong about Le Roux, deciding not to contract him when he was the Stormers’ Director of Rugby.
EVEN RASSIE WAS WRONG ABOUT WILLIE
Erasmus relayed the story at this week’s team announcement, showing how much Le Roux has contributed to the current team.
“I definitely made a mistake not backing him earlier in his career,” Erasmus admitted. “He’s an interesting character. I understand that when people don’t know him well, they might misread his emotional involvement in the game. At the start, when I didn’t know him well, I wondered about some of his reactions on the field.
“Then a coach overseas told me, ‘He just cares so much – he doesn’t hide his emotions.’ That changed how I saw him. It’s not that he’s upset or disconnected – he just feels everything deeply because he cares about the team.
“If you talk to anyone in the team, the way Willie looks sometimes, when he’s a little bit down or not happy, it’s definitely not a reflection of how he feels for the rest of the team. It’s just how much he cares.”
🗣️ "I didn't rate him in the beginning as Stormers coach and we let him go.. how wrong can you get!"
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 8, 2025
Rassie Erasmus pays his respects to Willie le Roux who will earn his 100th Springbok cap this weekend.#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/6KPdySDG2S
Erasmus added that Le Roux’s achievements should speak for themselves.
“You don’t just play 100 test matches for your country,” Erasmus added.
“I’m not sure what his win per centage is in those test matches, but there are only seven players who have done it.
“Now he’s got 100 test caps, two World Cup winner’s medals, and he’s still playing top rugby. He’s someone who always puts the team first. We’re very proud of him, and we hope to mark his 100th cap with a performance that reflects how much he’s meant to this team.”
UNBELIEVABLE STAT
To understand Le Roux’s value - here’s a stat that stands out. Le Roux is one of just four Tier 1 test players that have made more than 50 try assists in test rugby. The three others include two All Blacks and a British and Irish Lion. Beauden Barrett heads the list with Aaron Smith and Lions flyhalf Finn Russell also on it. Not bad company to be in.
Le Roux has always been Willie, but in the Bok squad he has been nicknamed ‘Majaivane’ which translates to ‘one who is always dancing’ because of his early career exploits on attack.
These days he is more the elder statesman, knowing his role in the Bok squad of bringing through young talent, and teaching them about space.
Erasmus had previously spoken about Le Roux’s ability to sum up positions on the field and what makes him so valuable for the Springboks.
“He helps the guys to understand how big the test match is. How are we going to handle this? How are you going to read that flyhalf? When do you have to cover what space?”
REALITY WILL SINK IN LATER
Le Roux spoke about his 100 caps in a clip on SuperSport this week, saying the reality of the milestone will only sink in later.
“It's a bit hard to think about. For me, it's first about getting through this week and training and not getting too excited because anything can still happen before the game. But I think on Saturday, when you run on, I think then it will kick in,” he told SuperSport.
“But for me now, it's a normal week. We've got a job to do on Saturday. And yeah, it’s my 100th, but I just wanted to play one.”
Le Roux mused about his debut back in 2013, watching it this past week on the pay channel.
“I actually saw that game during the week on SuperSport. They showed it and I just looked a bit how I played there. And it was, there was literally, there was no fear, I wasn't scared,” he smiled.
“I tried stuff. If it came off the people liked it, because at the time we played an expansive game at the Cheetahs. You always try things and it comes off. They love you. And I think now, once you get older, when you try these things that don't come off, people start asking why is he still doing that? But that time they cheered for you.
“So no, I just watched that young guy there playing and just expressing himself, living his dream. And yeah, Italy as well. First game in Durban and now it is the 100th against Italy again. What a journey.”
Willie le Roux receiving his first Springbok blazer and cap way back in 2013 🧢
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 9, 2025
Fast forward 12 years, cap number 100 and a special day for his family awaits in Gqeberha 🇿🇦#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/sCTuyqxIsy
DEALING WITH CRITICISM
Le Roux has learnt to deal with the criticism, and flourished despite it. But he knows who to listen to and whose advice to take to heart.
“You've got people from back home in Strand supporting. Whether you play well, whether you manage the match, whether you don't play well, they always message you afterwards and for them you've played well. So that core group of people has been with me for a long time,” he said.
“And then my wife, she actually watched the first game for me when it was my 50th for the box at Loftus. And she gets to be here with me now. So she and my family that's been there since our school days.
“Rassie always says if they don't criticise you, they don't care. If they just don't say anything, then it means that they don't care about you. You try and take the positive out of that and just try to be yourself and be better when you get an opportunity. But saying that it's not easier. And I don't think we go out there to make mistakes. We're also human.
“You make mistakes. It gets tough, but then you have your core group of people that's around you that keeps you positive. And then mainly the coach and the players as well. Once you come off the field and you look the other guy in the eye and you just say he's got your back and that's what it's about.”
SIMPLE ADVICE TO FOLLOW A DREAM
Le Roux says he has simple advice for anyone coming through the ranks with a Springbok dream.
“My dream was always to play rugby and I had to go play Boland club rugby for Wellington. I played against Roses, against Cornal (Hendricks), I remember it. So I had to experience a bit of a different way to get to the Springboks and to climb the ladder step by step.
“After that, I played Boland and then got an opportunity at Griquas. And when you're at the Griquas, you get an opportunity to play Super Rugby for the Cheetahs. Sometimes one coach will say something, he might not like you the way you play.
“And then you go somewhere else and then you have freedom and you can live your dream. So I don't think one person's advice or one person thinks of you as you should stop then, that should be it. Wherever you get opportunity and chance, even if it's smaller you need to go play and express yourself.
“I think you should do that because obviously we've got so many rugby players in South Africa, you might not play every weekend. So it's about putting yourself out there. Don't let one voice, who might not like the way you play, stop you from doing it.”
Le Roux hasn’t let a lot of voices tell him to stop. His reward is a 100th cap and the milestone and memories that come with it. A prophet is often not appreciated in his homeland it seems. Those who know Le Roux’s worth appreciate it all too well. Those who don’t won’t understand the sacrifices and the work that has been put in to get to this spot.
Le Roux is still a maverick. A rugby genius. He will cap it off with the ultimate reward on Saturday. A golden Springbok cap, his name as part of the history of glory, to go alongside his World Cup medals and various achievements.
There never will be another like Willie le Roux. But there was never meant to be another.
Because there will always only be one.
Who's been the biggest influence for Willie Roux over the last 12 years?
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 10, 2025
The Springbok fullback reflects on the people that have played an important role during his career 👏#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/gR9MEpVYEU