Home Tests against Wales to start Boks’ 2022 season
The Springboks are scheduled to face Wales in three Test matches in July, before hosting the All Blacks and Argentina in the Rugby Championship in August and September.
The world champions’ home fixtures for the season were confirmed by SA Rugby on Tuesday.
The away leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship will comprise of three Tests, two against Australia, and one against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Wales are set to return to South Africa for the first time since 2014 as the Boks kick off their 2022 season with three Tests against the Dragons – at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday 2 July, in Bloemfontein (9 July) and in Cape Town (16 July).
The Boks will then launch the home leg of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign three weeks later with back-to-back home Tests against the All Blacks – at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on 6 August, and a week later at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, on 13 August.
They will then depart for Australia for the away leg of the competition where they will meet the Wallabies on Saturday 27 August and again a week later, on 3 September (both venues to be confirmed), before their third away match against Argentina at Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on 17 September.
The Boks will conclude their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign with a home Test against Los Pumas at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 24 September.
🇿🇦 BREAKING! Boks' home schedule for 2022 locked in
— Springboks (@Springboks) February 8, 2022
3️⃣ Tests against @WelshRugbyUnion in July in Pretoria, Bloem and CT
💥 @AllBlacks return to SA for the first time since 2018
🔗 More here: https://t.co/saIwBY6iG7#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/dbnU1WqYha
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber says he is excited about the season.
“It’s a massive honour to represent our country, and the fact that we will be facing such tough competition this season has certainly sparked excitement among the coaches and the players alike.
“We are well underway with our planning for the year, and our knowledge of these teams after facing all of them last season will be vital as we forge ahead in this regard in the next few months.
“Wales, the All Blacks and Australia tested us well last season, and Argentina have proven to be a force to be reckoned with, both at home and away, so although we are expecting a challenging season, we realise the importance of laying a solid foundation as we build up toward next year’s Rugby World Cup.”
