Springboks’ 2023 fixture list locked in

February 01, 2023
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Ultimate Rugby

The Springboks will kick off a bumper 2023 season against Australia in Pretoria in July in the opening round of the shortened Rugby Championship and will face Argentina in Johannesburg in their final match on home soil before the build-up to their Rugby World Cup defence starts.

In August, the Boks will travel to Argentina to take on the Pumas before facing Wales and the All Blacks in Rugby World Cup warm-up matches in Cardiff and London in the final build-up to the global showpiece in France, which kicks off on the second weekend in September.

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber’s charges will kick off the international season on Saturday, 8 July, with their opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship Test against Australia at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, before travelling to New Zealand to face the All Blacks on Saturday, 17 July.

They will return to South Africa to wrap up their campaign against the Pumas at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg two weeks later, on Saturday, 29 July.

This will mark the first time since 2016 that the Boks host Australia in Pretoria, and the first time since 2013 that they take on Argentina in in Johannesburg, with South Africa having won both those fixtures, by 18-10 and 73-13 respectively.

The away match against Argentina is scheduled for Saturday, 5 August before they take on Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, 19 August, and a second Test against New Zealand at Twickenham on Friday, 25 August.

South Africa will launch their Rugby World Cup title defence on Sunday, 10 September, against Scotland in Marseille, which will be followed by pool matches against Romania in Bordeaux (17 September), Ireland in Paris (23 September) and Tonga in Marseille (1 October).

The Rugby World Cup quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 14/15 October, with the semi-finals on 20/21 October and the final on Saturday, 28 October.

An announcement on the venues of the Tests in New Zealand and Argentina, as well as the Boks’ training camps will be made in due course.

Springbok 2023 fixtures:

Castle Lager Rugby Championship:

Saturday, 8 July – Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

Saturday, 15 July – Springboks vs New Zealand (venue TBC)

Saturday, 29 July – Springboks vs Argentina (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)

RWC warm-up fixtures:

Saturday, 5 August – Springboks v Argentina (venue TBC)

Saturday, 19 August – Springboks vs Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)

Friday, 25 August – SA vs New Zealand (Twickenham, London)

RWC pool fixtures:

Sunday, 10 September – Springboks v Scotland (Stade Velodrome, Marseille)