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 of the July Incoming Series. The Boks kick off their season against Italy in Pretoria a week earlier, on 5 July, and will also play in Nelspruit and Durban this year.
The Boks’ 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 will meet again a week later, on 12 July, in Gqeberha, where they last crossed paths in 2001.
The last time the Boks played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was two Tests against Argentina in 2021, behind closed doors due to lockdown restrictions.
The last Test in July is against Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium on 19 July – only the third match between the sides in history.
The Boks will 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 will then return to South Africa for their final home Test of the year against Argentina at Kings Park on 27 September, before the away match against the Pumas a week later at Twickenham in London.
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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.
“The confirmation of the Test venues always gives us peace of mind from a coaching and management team perspective because it means we can step up our planning, and it also boosts the excitement from the public for the season,” he said.
“We have played at most of these venues in the last few years and we know them well, although it will be particularly exciting to return to Gqeberha for the first time since 2021.
“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.”
Erasmus was content with the work done behind the scenes so far as they look to build on a successful 2024 season: “We are already at an advanced stage of our planning from a coaching, logistics, and operations perspective, and it’s exciting to see how everything is coming together ahead of another challenging and exciting season.”
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 will be announced in due course.
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
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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.
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