Boks to kick off Rugby World Cup campaign in Adelaide

The world champions will then head to Brisbane and Perth to face Georgia and Romania in their two remaining pool matches.

World Rugby announced the RWC 2027 schedule, which will be played across eight venues in Australia, early on Tuesday in Sydney.

The Boks, who will have their sights set on trying to win their third successive RWC title, will line up against Italy in their opening match of the spectacle at the Adelaide Oval – where their only previous Test was against Australia in 2022 – at 05h45 (SA time) on Sunday 3 October, which will be followed by clashes against Georgia at the Brisbane Stadium on Sunday, 10 October (08h45), and Romania at Perth Stadium on Sunday, 17 October, (13h15).

The winner and runner-up in each of the six pools and the four best-placed third teams will then advance to the round of 16. 

Should the Springboks finish first or second in Pool B, their first playoff match will be hosted in Perth, while the quarter-final will be played out in Sydney, which is also the host venue for the semi-finals and final.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the announcement of the match schedule was the first step in ensuring that their planning was pinpoint for the international extravaganza.

“It’s pleasing that we now know where and when we are playing, and we are fortunate that we have played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney in the last few years in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship,” said Erasmus. 

“We can now go full steam ahead with our planning and preparation for the tournament, and we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we are as fresh and well prepared as possible for the competition.

“The one thing that pops out looking at the schedule is that, should we progress to the playoffs, there will be travel between the round of 16 and quarter-final, which is something we have to factor into our planning, as the flight is just under five hours between Perth and Sydney, and there is a two-hour time difference.

“Over and above that, our likely opponents could be either Australia or New Zealand, and it would be good to see their travel schedules. But obviously, we have to make it through first, which will require a massive effort.

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“There’s a lot of hard work ahead in the next 18 months, but we are all very excited for the tournament, and we are looking forward to putting the building blocks in place this season and next year before we depart for Australia.”

The Springboks are hoping to secure a warm-up match in June before launching their 2026 season in July with clashes against England in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July) as part of the new Nations Championship.

They will then meet the All Blacks in four Tests in the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September, which includes two matches in Johannesburg, and one each in Cape Town and Baltimore.

This will be followed by an away Test against the Wallabies in Australia (27 September), with the venue to be confirmed, before the second leg of the Nations Championship in Europe at the end of the year, which will feature matches against Italy (7 November), France (14 November), and Ireland (21 November).

Springbok RWC 2027 fixtures:

Pool stages:

Sunday, 3 October – 14h15 (05h45 SA time): SA v Italy (Adelaide Oval)

Sunday, 10 October – 16h45 (08h45 SA time): SA v Georgia (Brisbane Stadium)

Sunday, 17 October – 19h15 (13h15 SA time): SA v Romania (Perth Stadium)