According to the fixture, the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions will kick their season off against Italy in Pretoria a week earlier, on the 5th of July. They will also play in Nelspruit, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban.
The Boks’ season opener at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria 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 two teams will meet again a week later, on the 12th of July, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, where they last crossed paths in 2001.
The last time the Boks played at the stadium was behind closed doors due to the COVID pandemic in a rumble against Argentina.
The last Test in the Incoming Series is against Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit the 19th of 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 the DHL Stadium in Cape Town 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 Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban, before the away match against the Pumas a week later at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, in London.
Springbok coach, 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,” said Erasmus.
“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 hard 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,” he said.
Springbok home fixtures in 2025:
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
Castle Lager Rugby Championship:
16 August: SA v Australia – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
23 August: SA v Australia – DHL Stadium, Cape Town
27 September: SA v Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
