Tough year-end tour on the cards for Springboks
SPOTLIGHT: The Springboks will line up against World Cup opponents, Scotland and England, before taking on Wales in the year-end in November, with the last Tests confirmed on Monday.
The double world champions will kick off the tour on Sunday, November 10 in Edinburgh against the sixth-ranked Scotland before taking on RWC semifinalists England, currently ranked fifth in the world, in London on Saturday, November 16, and then Wales (ranked 10th) in Cardiff, a week later on November 23.
This will mark the first time the Springboks cross paths with Scotland since their World Cup 18-3 victory in Marseille in September last year, while it will be their first outing in Edinburgh since November 2021, which the Boks won 30-15.
The last time the Boks faced England at Twickenham was in November 2022, where they clinched a 27-13 victory, while they last lined up against Wales in Cardiff in a RWC warmup match, where they registered a record-breaking 52-16 victory.
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The clash against Wales, meanwhile, will mark their second outing against their Welsh counterparts this year, as the teams will also line up in the Boks’ opening match of the season at Twickenham on Saturday, June 22.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus looked forward to an enthralling tour in November:
“As a team we want to measure ourselves against the top sides in the world consistently, and facing Scotland, Wales, and England on the year-end tour, two of which we faced in the World Cup, will be fantastic for the team and the players,” Erasmus said.
“Wales may have had a disappointing Six Nations campaign, while Scotland won two of their five matches and England three, but they are always a force to be reckoned with at home, so we know we have to be at the top of our game when we line up against them.”
Erasmus added: “We have a challenging season ahead, which features home Test series against Ireland in the Incoming Series and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship, as well a Test against Portugal, two matches against Australia and Argentina, respectively.
“To face Scotland, England and Wales at the end of the year will certainly spice things up for the team, so we are really looking forward to the season.”
Springbok fixtures:
Saturday, June 22: SA vs Wales (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, July 6: SA vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, July 13: SA vs Ireland (Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, July 20: SA vs Portugal (Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, August 10: Australia vs SA (Lang Park, Brisbane)
Saturday, August 17: Australia vs SA (Perth Stadium, Perth)
Saturday, August 31: SA vs New Zealand (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, September 7: SA v New Zealand (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 21: Argentina v SA (venue TBC)
Saturday, September 28: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
Sunday, November 10: Scotland vs SA (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
Saturday, November 16: England vs SA (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, November 23: Wales vs SA (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
