WeeklySA_AdminBusy schedule: Italy, Georgia, Australia and Argentina to face Rassie Erasmus boys at home
By Sports Reporter
The Springboks will welcome Italy, Georgia, Australia and Argentina to South Africa in 2025, SA Rugby confirmed on Wednesday.
While the dates were locked in for the Tests in the Castle Lager Incoming Series as well as the home leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, SA Rugby will only confirm venues and kick-off times at a later stage. Italy will visit South Africa for the first time since 2013 when they face the Boks on 5 and 12 July. 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. The Lelos played one Test against South Africa in Pretoria in 2021, as prelude to the COVID-impacted tour of the British & Irish Lions.
The Boks will start the defence of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship crown against the Wallabies, who host the British & Irish Lions in July, on consecutive weekends in August, on the 16th and 23rd. Away Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand follow on 6 and 13 September before the Boks wrap up the Rugby Championship home (27 September) and away (4 October) against Argentina. 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.
Springbok centre Jesse Kriel was beaming with excitement when reflecting on the Boks’ impressive 2024 season in which they won 11 of their 13 Test matches and described the year as “special”.
Kriel earned his 79th Test cap in the Boks’ 45-12 victory over Wales in their closing Castle Lager Outgoing Tour match to wrap up an unbeaten November trip for the first time since 2013.
The star centre, who was included in World Rugby’s Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year on Sunday evening, said while they were pleased with their season, he believed the team was capable of more, and that they were determined to build on this form next season and become even better.
The Springboks defeated Scotland 32-15 in Edinburgh and England 29-20 in London before toppling Wales in a match in which they recorded their second-highest victory in history in Cardiff.
“Obviously the guys are very happy with the three wins,” said Kriel. “We set a goal at the beginning of the tour to go unbeaten because we haven’t achieved that since 2013, so we’re very happy with that and the performance against Wales.
“There’s still a lot we can work on as a team, but it’s been a very good year for us, and we are pretty satisfied with today’s result.”
Kriel praised the attitude of his team-mates as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus used 50 players throughout the season and said it painted a bright picture for the future of Springbok rugby.
“It’s been great – we used 50 players, and everyone put up their hand,” said Kriel. “When you get the right people in the room, a year like this is possible. All the guys that came in did so without egos and just wanted to get the job done and win for South Africa, so it’s been very positive in that sense, and I really feel we are building something special. “For now, we are going back to our clubs, and we’ll try to focus on getting better as players, so hopefully we can contribute when we get back together and become even better as a team.”
The bulk of the Springbok squad will land in South Africa on Monday afternoon after all the players all returned to their franchises and clubs to continue their domestic commitments.
Springbok home fixtures in 2025 (venues and kick-off times TBC):
5 July: SA v Italy
12 July: SA v Italy
19 July: SA v Georgia
16 August: SA v Australia
23 August: SA v Australia
27 September: SA v Argentina
