Boks to tackle Wallabies back-to-back in SA

The Springboks will face Australia in Johannesburg and Cape Town in the Rugby Championship as SA Rugby locks in the world champions’ home Test venues for 2025.

Rassie Erasmus’ men will also return to the Eastern Cape for the first time since 2021 when they take on Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the second of three Tests in July. The Boks kick off their season against Italy in Pretoria one week earlier, on 5 July, and will also play in Nelspruit and Durban this year.

The season-opener at Loftus Versfeld will mark Italy’s first visit to South Africa since 2013, while it will also be the first fixture between the teams in Gauteng. The teams clash again on 12 July, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where they last crossed paths in 2001. The venue most recently hosted the Boks in two Tests against Argentina in 2021, behind closed doors due to lockdown restrictions.

The third and final Test in July is against Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium on 19 July – only the third match between the sides in history.

The Boks begin their Rugby Championship title defence against Australia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Cape Town Stadium on 16 and 23 August, before travelling to New Zealand for successive Tests against the All Blacks in Auckland (6 September) and Wellington (13 September).

They then return to South Africa for the final home Test of the year against Argentina at Kings Park on 27 September, before the away match against the Pumas at Twickenham in London on 4 October.

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Springbok coach head Rassie Erasmus was pleased with the Test venues and said it sparked even more excitement among the coaches for the 2025 season.

“We thoroughly enjoy the passionate support we receive from our home crowds throughout the country, and we have no doubt we will enjoy great support at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium once again – this time in a packed stadium, which we last experienced in the Eastern Cape in 2018 against Australia,” he said.

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer shared Erasmus’ excitement following the confirmation of the Test venues and said: “The team enjoys a lot of support throughout the country – we had more than 300,000 fans in attendance at our home Tests last year – and by spreading out the matches, hopefully it allows as many people as possible to see them live in action.”

Details on ticket sales have yet to be released.

Springbok home fixtures in 2025:
5 July: SA v Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
12 July: SA v Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
19 July: SA v Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
16 August: SA v Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
23 August: SA v Australia, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
27 September: SA v Argentina, Kings Park, Durban

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter