VIDEO: The last time the Boks visited Twickenham

SPOTLIGHT: The excitement for the Springboks’ season opener at Twickenham is growing day by day.

South Africa will return to the field on June 22 with a blockbuster Test against Wales at the iconic Twickenham Stadium in London.

The match is the first fixture since they were crowned back-to-back World Cup Champions in France last year.

The London showdown is an ideal opportunity for Rassie Erasmus to introduce some new faces to the Test arena.

Players like Jordan Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi, Siya Masuku, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Neethling Fouche and Andre-Hugo Venter will have a chance to prove themselves as they try to break into the Springboks squad that will take on Ireland in the Incoming Series two weeks later.

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It will be the second year in a row the Springboks will play a Test at Twickenham Stadium.

The last time South Africa was at the iconic stadium in London they recorded their biggest win over arch-rivals the All Blacks (35-7) in front of a passionate 80,827 strong crowd.

The Springboks made a big statement ahead of the World Cup –  outscoring the All Blacks five tries to one.

Captain Siya Kolisi, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Malcolm Marx, Bongie Mbonambi and Kwagga Smith were the try-scorers on the day, while Manie Libbok added five conversions to the tally.

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New Zealand managed to avoid the embarrassment of being ‘nilled’ nine minutes from time when replacement back Cam Roigard ran in a converted try from some 70 metres out after gathering a loose ball.

Nonetheless, the damage was already done with the Springboks victorious in London.

While a lot has changed since that day, like Erasmus retaining the head coach role following Jacques Nienaber’s exit and former All Blacks Tony Brown taking over the attack,  building on that impressive record at Twickenham remains important.

“We are excited to play against the Welsh side at Twickenham,” Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus said.

“The last time we played at Twickenham was against New Zealand. There was a great crowd and a great vibe.

“We hope there is a lot of support. We know there will be a lot of Welsh supporters, but hoping there will be South Africans as well.

“Really looking forward to it.”

Springboks record at Twickenham since 2004

2004: South Africa lost to England, 32-16
2006: South Africa lost to England, 23-21
2006: South Africa beat England, 25-14
2008: South Africa beat England, 42-6
2010: South Africa beat England, 21-11
2012: South Africa beat England, 16-15
2014: South Africa beat England, 31-28
2015: South Africa lost to New Zealand (RWC), 20-18
2016: South Africa lost to England, 37-21
2018: South Africa lost to England, 12-11
2021: South Africa lost to England, 27-26
2022: South Africa beat England, 27-13
2023: South Africa beat New Zealand, 35-7