It will be more than six months before we see Springboks in action, but what does the whole of the 2025 look like for the South African national team.
The double-reigning world champions have proved too much for almost every side in the international game over the last few years and 2025 will be a relatively quiet year.
The Springboks finished on a four-game winning run heading into 2025, following a slightly patchy middle of the year in 2024. Wins over Argentina (48-7), Scotland (32-15), England (29-20) and Wales (45-12) put their all-action game on full show in a perfect tour of the northern hemisphere.
This followed on from the world champions romping to The Rugby Championship title as they won five of their six matches including doing the double over rivals New Zealand both away from home (31-27) and at home (18-12).
Incredibly, their only loss in the competition came against Argentina, as they were beaten 29-28. They did roar back to a 48-7 win on their own turf over the same opponent, but it showed that there is still room for improvement even when you are at the top.
This year will likely bring a number of chances for the best side in the world to improve as their top players are pushed by new and exciting talent coming through. While the schedule for 2025 is not complete, we already have a good idea of where the major challenges for South Africa will come this year:
July 5 – South Africa vs Italy
July 12 – South Africa vs Italy
July 19 – South Africa vs Georgia
August 16 – South Africa vs Australia – The Rugby Championship
August 23 – South Africa vs Australia – The Rugby Championship
September 6 – New Zealand vs South Africa – The Rugby Championship
September 13 – New Zealand vs South Africa – The Rugby Championship
September 27 – South Africa vs Argentina – The Rugby Championship
October 4 – Argentina vs South Africa – The Rugby Championship
TBD – Autumn Internationals
South Africa will host Italy in July, with matches taking place on the fifth and 12th. The Italians do provide a test when they are in full flow, but as the team ranked 10th in the men’s game, they are hardly the top-quality opposition many want to see the Springboks hosting.
Next comes Georgia a week after their last game against Italy, with this likely more of a chance for South Africa to test their scrum over everything else.
Then comes the real challenge. South Africa head into The Rugby Championship as favourites according to rugby tipsters Bets.co.za but they have a target on their back after winning the competition in 2024.
They host Australia in two games across August before playing twice against New Zealand away from home. They finish their campaign by hosting Argentina before then travelling to play them in early October.
Australia are once again emerging as a force in the men’s game following Joe Schmidt’s arrival as head coach. However, the main threat comes in the form of New Zealand.
The All Blacks have found themselves well short of South Africa in recent years, while they were beaten by their opponents in the final of the World Cup in 2023 in the latest showing of which side is currently on top.
Of course, of all of the sides in the international game, New Zealand are the ones that are most dangerous to underestimate. Their power game at set-piece and in open play are enough for any side, while their skill with the ball in hand is the envy of every team in the world.
South Africa will likely cap off 2025 with a tour of the northern hemisphere, although their fixtures are yet to be confirmed.
With the likes of Ireland, England, France, Wales, Scotland and Italy all potential opponents, the Springboks could once again end the year having played the majority of the 10 best sides in the world.
With the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027 fast approaching, expect to see a lot of new South African faces debut as the double-world champions look to build towards securing their third consecutive triumph.