OPINION: Boks shine again as top SA sports team of 2024

The Springboks again stood out as South Africa’s top sports team this year, but there was also success for other national sides in the country’s most popular codes.

On the rugby field, the Boks continued their momentum from the 2023 Rugby World Cup victory and set out to prove to the few naysayers left that they are undoubtedly the best side in the world.

The Boks convincingly won the Rugby Championship with just one loss coming against Argentina, finishing a solid eight points ahead of New Zealand.

They also won all three games on their UK tour, beating Scotland, England, and Wales with a combined 106 points scored in that series.

Pieter-Steph du Toit became the first South African to be named World Rugby Player of the Year twice and Eben Etzebeth became the most capped Springbok.

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Success for Bafana Bafana

In football, Bafana Bafana’s year started with a trip to the Africa Cup of Nations finals, where Hugo Broos’ side defied expectations with a brilliant bronze.

The highlight of that campaign had to be an incredible 2-0 win in the last 16 over 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco.

Bafana suffered heartbreak as they were beaten on penalties by Nigeria in the semifinals, but they recovered to beat DR Congo on penalties to claim third place.

Buoyed by their AFCON success, Bafana then picked up two momentum-building results in 2026 World Cup qualifying, drawing 1-1 in Nigeria and beating Zimbabwe 3-1 at home.

And to finish the year, Broos’ side comfortably qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

Struggling Proteas shine at World Cups

Elsewhere, on the cricket pitch, the Proteas men and women did not have the most memorable seasons, but both sides stood up when it counted most.

The men’s team won only 21 of their 43 matches across all three formats, while the women’s squad picked up only 12 victories in their 36 games.

Both sides reached the T20 World Cup finals, however, with the men ultimately falling to India in the trophy battle in the West Indies and the women slipping against New Zealand in the final in Dubai.

The Proteas men also won their last six successive Test matches to qualify for next year’s World Test Championship final.

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