All Blacks flanker Wallace Sititi runs with the ball during the Rugby Championship Test match against the Springboks. FILE - The Springboks will take on the All Blacks in two Tests in New Zealand in the Rugby Championship in 2025. Picture: Rodger Bosch / AFP
After tackling two of top three nations in the world at home this year, the Springboks will face a less glamorous challenge in South Africa in 2025 after SA Rugby released their fixtures on Wednesday.
The Springboks will face Italy and Georgia in the July Test window, primarily because of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, as the team is made up of the best of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
The Springboks hosted Ireland in a pulsating home series at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and at Kings Park in Durban, before taking on Portugal in the third match of the July Test window.
Italy will visit South Africa for the first time since 2013 when they face the Boks on July 5 and 12. Dating back to their first visit in 1999, the Azzurri have only played seven Tests in South Africa before.
A week later, the Boks will take on Georgia on home soil for the second time, in line with World Rugby’s plans to expose emerging nations to top-tier opposition.
Georgia played one Test against South Africa in Pretoria in 2021, as prelude to the Covid 19-impacted tour of the British Lions.
The Springboks will start the defence of their Rugby Championship crown against the Wallabies on consecutive weekends in August. The Boks pumped the Wallabies in their away matches last year, but the Australians are much-improved and will be battled-hardened after the Lions series.
The Springboks will then play the All Blacks in New Zealand in the first two weekend of September, before they wrap up their Rugby Championship campaign home and away against Argentina.
SA Rugby says details of the venues for the All Blacks Tests, the away match in Argentina and the November tour to Europe will be announced in due course.
July 5: Italy
July 12: Italy
July 19: Georgia
August 16: Australia
August 23: Australia
September 27: Argentina
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