South Africa Has a Second Springbok Squad and They’re Not Who You Think
For one unforgettable moment, it looked like South Africa had two Springbok squads. Standing shoulder to shoulder, 23 men gathered […]
Black News 
For one unforgettable moment, it looked like South Africa had two Springbok squads. Standing shoulder to shoulder, 23 men gathered for an official team photograph, sporting the familiar faces of some of the country’s best-known rugby stars.
There was just one difference… these weren’t the players taking to the field. They were everyday South Africans whose bok likeness earned them a place in Klipdrift’s Same Same But Klippies #BokSearch squad.
The campaign combines two of South Africa’s favourite things – the Bokke and a Klippies & Coke. Seeing as the Springboks can’t enjoy a brandy during matches, Klipdrift set out to find a team that can – ordinary South Africans that kind of look like the Springboks and love a bit of Klippies.
The photograph marks the culmination of months of entries from South Africans who spotted their own resemblance to a Springbok and entered themselves into the search.
One nomination at a time, the country helped Klipdrift build its own matchday 23, turning a playful search for Bok doubles into a celebration of the people and personalities that make rugby culture so uniquely South African.
From Antonio Munnik, a law enforcement officer from Belhar, who was nominated for looking like Springbok Grant Williams, to Zwelethu Maziya, a Real Estate Agent from Durban, whose resemblance to Aphelele Fassi has become a running joke among his friends, who were so convinced by the likeness that they repeatedly sent him the link to the Bok Search scanner to enter.
Anthony Smit, a construction worker from Paarl, whose resemblance to Eben Etzebeth has led to some hilarious encounters, recalls how a woman in a biltong shop was so convinced he was the Springbok that she fell off her chair when he walked in. She tried to recover in the moment, only to realise he wasn’t Eben, and somehow ended up falling off the chair anyway.
Reflecting on meeting the other doubles, Anthony says, “Meeting the other doubles was amazing. It felt like being part of a provincial rugby team, everyone was ready to play.”
For many of the selected doubles, the experience has been about more than being told they look like a rugby star. It has meant meeting 22 other South Africans who share the same unlikely experience and seeing what started as individual nominations come together as one extraordinary squad.
“Rugby has a way of bringing South Africans together, whether it’s around a screen, at the stadium, at a braai or through the friendly debates that start long before kick-off,” says Donné Wolk, Marketing Head of Spirits. “With #BokSearch, we wanted to celebrate that connection in a way that felt distinctly South African. What began with people spotting remarkable resemblances became thousands of South Africans taking part and helping us build a second squad. Seeing all 23 Bok doubles together is a powerful reflection of the spirit behind Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.”
But the search has never been limited to the Springbok men’s squad. To celebrate the whole Springbok universe, Klipdrift has extended the Same Same But Klippies search across the national teams, with the Springbok Women and Springbok Sevens squads also loaded onto the scanner, giving South Africans the opportunity to search for their own remarkable doubles across the wider Bok family. And while the starting squad has been revealed, the bench is still open.
South Africans aged 18 and older can continue entering #BokSearch until the end of September 2026 for the chance to win a framed Springbok jersey or earn a place as an official Same Same But Klippies squad member.
So, while 23 places may have been filled, the final whistle on #BokSearch is still some way off.
Follow the search online or on Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube.
#BokSearch #MustBeKlippies
