Springboks to face Babaas again after adding test against Australia in Perth

South Africa face the Barbarians for the second year in a row
South Africa face the Barbarians for the second year in a rowRODGER BOSCH / AFP

South Africa will play a one-off test against ⁠Australia in Perth in September and start their season at home against a ‌Barbarians side led by former New Zealand coach Scott ‌Robertson and Argentina’s Felipe Contepomi, team ‌officials said on Tuesday.

The fixture against the ‌2027 Rugby World Cup hosts on September ‌27 takes the number of scheduled tests to 11 in 2026 for the Springboks. They ‌will also be involved in the ⁠finals weekend ‌of the new Nations Championship in London.

The Barbarians ​game in Gqeberha on June 20 is not an official test, but ​will be used by coach Rassie Erasmus to fine-tune ahead of the international season, ⁠as he ​did when the sides met in Cape Town in 2025, where the Springboks won 54-7.

South Africa will host England at Ellis ‌Park in the Nations Championship on July 4, which is the official start of their season. They then play Scotland and Wales at home in consecutive weekends.

Erasmus’ side host New Zealand for three tests in August and September as part of the "Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry" tour, before the teams ‌head to Baltimore, United States for a ​fourth fixture on September 12.

The Springboks ‌face Australia in Perth two weeks later, before three matches in the Nations Championship against Italy, France and Ireland.

Where they finish in the table will determine ⁠who they play ⁠on finals weekend ‌from November 27-29.

Springbok fixtures 2026:

Non-Test International:

Saturday 20 June: Springboks v Barbarians (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha)

 

Nations Championship:

Saturday 4 July: Springboks v England (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

Saturday 11 July: Springboks v Scotland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

Saturday 18 July: Springboks v Wales (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)

 

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry:

Saturday 22 August: Springboks v All Blacks (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

Saturday 29 August: Springboks v All Blacks (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)

Saturday 5 September: Springboks v All Blacks (FNB Stadium, Johannesburg)

Saturday 12 September: Springboks v All Blacks (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, USA)

 

One-off Test:

Sunday 27 September: Wallabies v Springboks (Optus Stadium, Perth)

 

Nations Championship:

Saturday 7 November: Italy v Springboks (Venue TBC)

Friday 13 November: France v Springboks (Stade de France, Paris)

Saturday 21 November: Ireland v Springboks (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November: Finals Weekend (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London)

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