Krige was captain in a turbulent period

The flanker will continue to play for Western Province and Super 12 side the Stormers until the end of the season.

"I have given this a lot of thought and discussed things with my wife and family and believe this is the right decision for me," Krige said.

"I would like to concentrate on the Stormers and Western Province and spend more time at home."

Krige, 28, captained the Springboks for the first time on his debut against Italy in 1999 and became the regular skipper in 2002.

However, during his period at the helm the Springboks have endured a torrid time.

To have captained the team was an incredible experience Corne Krige

In August a pre-World Cup training camp was disrupted by allegations of racism within the squad.

And following a disappointing exit in the quarter-finals to New Zealand, damaging revelations emerged of a military-style training camp during which naked players were crammed in a pit overnight.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed playing for the Springboks," Krige added.

"It has been a dream come true to play in the green and gold and to have captained the team was an incredible experience.

I am pretty glad to see the back of him - perhaps now the Boks can leave their thuggery behind Patrick Childs Have your say on Scrum V

"I have been privileged to play at that level with some world greats and I want to thank them for making my job as captain a memorable one."

Krige's retirement completes a quartet of changes at the top of the South African game.

Springboks coach Rudolf Straeuli and managing director Rian Oberholzer both resigned after the World Cup while president Silas Nkanunu was ousted at last month's annual meeting.