World champions Springboks to open season against Wales at Twickenham

World champions Springboks to open season against Wales at Twickenham

The Springboks will return to action for the first time since they won last year’s Rugby World Cup when they take on Wales at Twickenham Stadium on June 22, it was announced on Wednesday.

The London ground, the home of English rugby, last staged a match between the two sides during the 2015 World Cup, when the Springboks won a tense quarter-final 23-19.

South Africa, who faced New Zealand at Twickenham in a World Cup warm-up last year, play Ireland twice in July, in Pretoria and Durban, while Wales travel to Australia for a two-Test series.

“We are thrilled to return to Twickenham in what will mark our first Test since the Rugby World Cup final in France,” said South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus.

He added: “We may be playing on foreign territory, but we enjoy fantastic support from the expat community in London and its surrounds, as we saw last year where most of the supporters donned green and gold, so we are really looking forward to the match.”

Wales coach Warren Gatland, whose side have lost their opening two Six Nations fixtures, said he was “excited about the fixture list”.

“To have the opportunity for our young squad to test itself against the world champions at a neutral venue is an extremely important experience, and something that we will relish,” he said.

The Barbarians will play Fiji later on the same day at Twickenham.

Springboks fixtures for 2024

22 June: SA vs Wales (Twickenham, London)

6 July: SA vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

13 July: SA vs Ireland (Kings Park, Durban)

20 July: SA vs Portugal (Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein)

10 August: Australia vs SA (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)

17 August: Australia vs SA (Optus Stadium, Perth)

31 August: SA vs New Zealand (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

7 September: SA v New Zealand (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)

21 September: Argentina v SA (venue TBC)

28 September: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)

16/17 November: England v SA (Twickenham, London – date TBC)

AFP