The Springboks will head into their final home Test of 2026 this Saturday, but there is still plenty of action to look forward to over the final four months of the year.
Rassie Erasmus’ team will face the All Blacks twice more in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series, before heading into a one-off Test against Australia at the end of September.
The Springboks then head on a new-look end-of-year tour as part of the Nations Championship tournament, which will see them face Italy, France and Ireland as well as one final opponent at the end of November.
For the Nations Championship, across the six pool-stage matches in July and November, teams from the southern and hemisphere will continue to compete against each other. Points earned from those matches determine a final one to six ranking for each hemisphere’s table, and the finals weekend pairs each team against their direct equivalent rank from the opposite conference.
SPRINGBOKS’ REMAINING FIXTURES AND KICK OFF TIMES THIS YEAR
Once-off Test
Nations Championship (End of Year Tour)
First things first
As the Springboks prepare for kick off in this Saturday’s third Test against New Zealand, lock Ruan Nortje – who will pair up with Eben Etzebeth in the engine room again – said the atmosphere in the Bok camp was good this week and that they were 100% focused on the task at hand.
“The vibe has been really good – I wouldn’t say it’s very different to last week,” said Nortje.
“Every week is a Test week. In our camp, it’s all about sticking to our processes and working hard during the week, and when we work, we work as hard as possible.”
Zooming in on the lineouts, Nortje said: “The set pieces were good last week, but we’ll never be satisfied with just good. We always want to be better.
“We were happy with how the lineouts went, but this is a new week. We’ve put in a lot of effort working out what we want to do since Sunday, and during the week we execute it in training. But once one gets into the game it’s about adapting, and if we’re under pressure, to look at what to do differently and adjust.
“A lot of credit has to go to the coaches and players in that process. But this is a new week and a fresh challenge.”
