Smit made his South African Test debut in 2000

The 25-year-old, who captained the under-21 side to the 1999 Southern Hemisphere title, succeeds Corne Krige who quit after the World Cup.

Smit has 26 caps for his country and he captained the Springboks against Georgia at the World Cup last autumn.

South Africa coach Jake White said: "We share the same moral and ethical values. He has captained many sides before and he has served his time."

Smit has already taken part in a team-building session held by management in Johannesburg.

"I have had the privilege of coaching John at three levels, under-21s, provincial and international," said White.

"He is one of the players that thinks the same as me and we work well together.

"The captain needs to be assured of his place and he needs to be involved in putting in place the preparations for the coming season."

Smit takes the job after Krige stepped down following South Africa's disastrous World Cup campaign which saw them lose to New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

The captain needs to be assured of his place Springbok coach Jake White

The build-up to the tournament was overshadowed by allegations of racism within the squad and afterwards the country was stunned by revelations of a military-style training camp.