The Springboks will kick-off a bumper 2023 season against Eddie Jones’ Wallabies in Pretoria in July in the shortened Rugby Championship and will face Argentina in Johannesburg in their final match on home soil before the build-up to the Rugby World Cup.
In August, the Boks will travel to Argentina to take on the Pumas before facing Wales and the All Blacks in World Cup warm-up matches in Cardiff and London in the final build-up to the global showpiece in France, which kicks off in the second weekend in September.
The Boks kick off their season on July 8 against Australia at Loftus Versfeld before travelling to New Zealand to face the All Blacks on July 17.
They will return to South Africa to wrap up their Championship campaign against the Pumas at Emirates Airline Park on July 29.
The Rugby Championship: Springboks v Wallabies
Saturday, July 8 – Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, July 17 – Springboks vs New Zealand (venue TBC)
Saturday, July 29 – Springboks vs Argentina (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Rugby Springboks vs Wallabies Preview:
ncoming Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones arrived in Australia from Japan on Sunday morning and officially stepped into his new position on Monday.
Jones was an interested spectator on the final day of the Sydney Sevens, and his arrival comes at the right time as the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season is set to kick off on Friday, February 24.
In Australia, the action gets underway on that day when the Waratahs host the Brumbies at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney – the same venue where Jones mingled with fans on Sunday.
Jones revealed that he will start his second tenure as Wallabies head coach by visiting all the Super Rugby Pacific clubs to meet with the various coaches and players.
The 63-year-old is set to take charge of his first Test in July, when Australia kicks off their Rugby Championship campaign against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
An area of concern from the Wallabies’ Tests in 2022 was their inability to close out tight matches, and they lost five matches by less than a converted try, including against Jones’ England side in the final match of a three-Test series in Sydney last July.
Eddie targets Boks in comeback Test
Eddie Jones’ second term with the Wallabies commences at Loftus Versfeld in July when Australia’s Rugby Championship kicks off against the Springboks in Pretoria.
Jones, who was dumped by England in December, will start his second tenure with the Wallabies on January 29 on a contract that will take him through until the 2027 World Cup in Australia and which includes a home British and Irish Lions series in 2025.
The 62-year-old previously coached the Wallabies between 2001 and 2005, winning the then-Tri Nations in his first season in charge and taking Australia to the 2003 World Cup final.
In an exclusive wide-ranging interview with the Herald and Nine News, Jones was asked about the prospect of coaching the Wallabies in the next Lions series.
“I’m speaking like a coach here, the only thing I’m really thinking about is the next World Cup,” said Jones. “Even the Rugby Championship, we’ve got South Africa away [in July]. That’s always a pivotal game to get that right. We’ve got five games leading into the World Cup. We want to win the World Cup.
“Dave’s left the team in a good position to win the World Cup. I think they showed a lot of courage on the last tour to Europe and now we’ve got to build on that.”
When asked about his biggest challenge in 2023, Jones outlined the importance of getting off to a good start against the Springboks.