The Springboks are not messing around in 2025, with Rassie Erasmus confirming that they are effectively looking to squeeze in as many fixtures as possible in order to be able to distribute game-time around the squad and expose more newcomers to the international arena.
There are already 13 Tests confirmed for this year, and a one-off pre-season fixture against the Barbarians is in the plans. Erasmus has said they are also looking at adding one or two more Tests to the schedule, and it’s believed that Japan would be the likely opponents.
The last time the Springboks and Japan met each other was in the 2019 World Cup quarter-final, and it would be interesting to see where this ‘rematch’ would fit into the calendar during the second half of this year.
“We are hoping to get the 15 matches, every single one is almost confirmed,” Erasmus confirmed at a press conference just last week.
“This will be a tough season for us in terms of Tests, just looking at our draw. We had a tough 2022, but now having 15 matches, I think it is only the second time in history that we have it. I think 2007 had 17 matches. It will be the first one in a long time, but we need them.”
SPRINGBOKS’ 2025 TEST SCHEDULE JUST TWO YEARS AWAY FROM THE NEXT WORLD CUP:
TBC: vs Barbarians, TBC, TBC
5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban
4 October: vs Argentina, London
1 November: vs Wales, Cardiff
8 November: vs France, Paris
15 November: vs Italy, Turin
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin
*SA Rugby are working on adding at least one more end-of-year Test for the Springboks, likely to be against Japan
WHICH SA FIXTURES ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR?
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/springboks-final-opponents-for-2025-confirmed/
