Newlands' farewell Test revealed
NEWS: Newlands will not get the farewell Cape Town fans wanted.
The Springboks will bid farewell to Newlands in Cape Town in July – not against the New Zealand, South Africa’s arch-rivals, but lowly Scotland.
The Boks will face the All Blacks at a brand-new venue in September, after SA confirmed the host stadiums for six home Tests in 2020.
All three the Championship matches – against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina – will take place up north.
The three mid-year Tests – against Scotland and Georgia in a new Test window in July – will be hosted on the coast.
In what will be a final international at the oldest Test venue in the Southern Hemisphere, Newlands in Cape Town will host the Springboks for their first match since their memorable triumph over England in the World Cup Final in Japan last November.
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The two-match series against the Scots kicks off on Saturday, July 4 in Cape Town, with the two sides meeting again a week later at Jonsson Kings Park in Durban.
That is followed by a historic first home Test for the Springboks against Georgia, at the majestic Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Mandela Day (Saturday, 18 July).
The Friendly City traditionally pulls in very good crowds for Springbok Tests and the Boks can look forward to another good turnout against the Georgians.
The Springboks will also defend their Championship title, which starts with a match against Argentina at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, 8 August.
The away match against the Pumas on 15 August is then followed by a visit to Australasia for the away fixtures against the Wallabies (29 August) and All Blacks (5 September) before the Boks return to South Africa for two home fixtures to complete their 2020 campaign.
Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria will host the Springboks’ clash with the Wallabies on 19 September, where the Australians have yet to register a win against the men in green and gold, after which the highly-anticipated Test against the All Black will take place a week at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, on 26 September.
SA CEO Jurie Roux said the six home Test matches will offer local supporters across the country an exciting opportunity to watch their World Cup-winning Springbok heroes in action on South African soil.
“The Springboks had a fantastic season last year which resulted in successes in both the Championship and the World Cup and we saw the passion for the Boks from all South Africans upon their return from Japan,” said Roux.
“There is a huge amount of excitement amongst our fans to watch the Springboks live in action again in our own backyard and this year’s home schedule will give them just that, starting with a farewell to Newlands in the first Test against Scotland, a historic clash with Georgia before the defence of the Championship gets underway and we finish off by taking the All Blacks to the Lowveld for the very first time.”
South Africa’s home Test for 2020:
Mid-year
July 4: v Scotland – Newlands, Cape Town
July 11: v Scotland – Kings Park, Durban
July 18: v Georgia – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Rugby Championship
August 8: v Argentina – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
September 19: v Australia – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
September 26: v New Zealand – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
