The Springboks remain comfortably ensconced at the top of the world rugby rankings at the start of 2025, but the upcoming Six Nations tournament is likely to shake things up.
While none of the southern hemisphere nations will be in action until mid-2025, the northern hemisphere top guns will offer up some mouthwatering Test action in the Six Nations, starting on Friday, 31 January.
A successful defence of their Six Nations title could well see Ireland regain the top spot, while the Springboks will also keep a close eye on fourth-placed France, another team they will face on their 2025 end-of-year tour.
Below you can find all the kick off times for the first round of action, as well as a reminder of where everyone stands in the latest wold rugby rankings.
SIX NATIONS 2025 FIXTURES
ROUND 1
Friday, 31 January
France vs Wales (22:15 SA kick off time)
Saturday, 1 February
Scotland vs Italy (16:15 kick off time)
Ireland vs England (18:45 kick off time)
ROUND 2
Saturday, 8 February
Italy vs Wales
England vs France
Sunday, 9 February
Scotland vs Ireland
ROUND 3
Saturday, 22 February
Wales vs Ireland
England vs Scotland
Sunday, 23 February
Italy vs France
ROUND 4
Saturday, 8 March
Ireland vs France
Scotland vs Wales
Sunday, 9 March
England vs Italy
ROUND 5
Saturday, 15 March
Italy vs Ireland
Wales vs England
France vs Scotland
CURRENT WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS
| RANK | COUNTRY | POINTS |
| 1 | South Africa | 92.78 |
| 2 | Ireland | 90.78 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 90.36 |
| 4 | France | 88.51 |
| 5 | Argentina | 84.97 |
| 6 | Scotland | 83.34 |
| 7 | England | 82.31 |
| 8 | Australia | 81.52 |
| 9 | Fiji | 80.07 |
| 10 | Italy | 78.64 |
| 11 | Wales | 74.01 |
| 12 | Georgia | 73.85 |
| 13 | Japan | 72.95 |
| 14 | Samoa | 72.68 |
| 15 | USA | 70.02 |
| 16 | Portugal | 68.82 |
| 17 | Uruguay | 67.06 |
| 18 | Spain | 65.98 |
| 19 | Tonga | 65.46 |
| 20 | Romania | 63.01 |
Meanwhile, here is a reminder of the teams the Springboks will face in 2025, which includes all of the Six Nations sides except England and Scotland.
2025 Test schedule:
5 July: vs Italy, Venue TBC
12 July: vs Italy, TBC
19 July: vs Georgia, TBC
16 August: vs Australia, TBC
23 August: vs Australia, TBC
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington
27 September: vs Argentina, TBC
4 October: vs Argentina, London
1 November: vs Wales, Cardiff
8 November: vs France, Paris
15 November: vs Italy, TBC
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin
WHICH FIXTURES ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/six-nations/kick-off-times-updated-world-rankings-on-eve-of-2025-six-nations/
