A plane flies over Cape Town Stadium (Bertram Malgas/News24)

  • The world-famous Barbarians will be in South Africa for the first time ever when they face the Springboks in June.
  • The match will take place at Cape Town Stadium.
  • It’s South Africa’s first match of a season in which they also face Italy, Georgia, Australia and Argentina at home.
  • For more Springbok news, visit our dedicated section.

The Springboks will kick off their 2025 season with a match against the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium on 28 June, SA Rugby announced on Friday.

The famous international invitation side will play on South African soil for the first time.

The Barbarians consist of players from the United Rugby Championship, French Top 14, English Premiership, Super Rugby and the Japanese League.

They will be coached by the experienced Robbie Deans, a former All Black who was also in charge of the Wallabies and the Crusaders in a coaching career spanning almost three decades.

The BaaBaas match in Cape Town will be the ninth between the Boks and the famous black-and-white-clad outfit, and the first since 5 November, 2016, when the teams played to a 31-31 draw at Wembley Stadium in London.

“This is a historic moment, and it will be very special to welcome the Barbarians to South Africa for the first time,” said SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer.

“The Springboks wanted a match before the series against Italy to prepare, and we’re really grateful to our friends at the Barbarians and Pitch for assisting in bringing this encounter to life.”

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the match would be the perfect trigger to get his players into match mode before the Castle Lager Incoming Series, which features two Tests against Italy (5 and 12 July) and one against Georgia (19 July).

“It’s always exciting to face the BaaBaas, and this match will be particularly special as it marks the first time that we will face them in South Africa,” said Erasmus.

“For us, this will be the perfect opportunity to get the players match-ready for the official international season, which starts a week later.

“With a big squad, one can simulate a match situation, but there is nothing like a proper international with the full build-up and the pressure to get the players battle-ready, so this is a great occasion for us.

“With the Barbarians team featuring players from across the world, they are tough to analyse, so the key for us will be to focus on our structures and what we want to achieve on the field.”

Erasmus added: “We may have had a satisfying 2024 season, but this is a new year and a fresh challenge, and we’d like to start strong and build momentum as the season progresses.

“We have a tough year ahead, and the Barbarians, who are usually laden with seasoned internationals, will provide the perfect test before the Incoming Series.”

Deans is looking forward to facing the Springboks.

“It is exciting news to have the iconic Barbarians announced to play against the world champion Springboks in Cape Town in late June – these are two of the biggest brands in the game.

“The last occasion these two teams met at Wembley resulted in a draw. The Springboks have achieved a lot since that day. This will be an altogether different challenge on-site in South Africa.

The Incoming Series will be followed by the Rugby Championship against Australia (16 and 23 August in Johannesburg and Cape Town), the All Blacks (6 and 13 September in New Zealand), and Argentina (27 September and 4 October in Durban and London respectively), before the Boks will depart on their traditional end of the year tour.

Springbok home fixtures 2025

28 June: Barbarians v SA – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Incoming Series:

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

Rugby Championship:

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

Src: News24.com