End-of-year tour schedule announced, with blockbuster matchups and chances for SA to field players in need of Test caps
19 February 2025 – 17:33
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France captain Antoine Dupont and Cameron Woki cannot hide their disappointment after the final whistle of the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal against the Springboks in Paris in 2023. The Boks will again play France on their home soil in November.
Image: Xavier Laine (Getty Images)
The Springboks will play fierce northern hemisphere rivals France and Ireland, with other matches against Italy and Wales, on their end-of-year tour in November.
The matches, especially the two mouthwatering Tests against France and Ireland, are part of the Autumn Nations Series.
The matchups against France and Ireland present the opportunity for scores to be settled. The Boks met France and Ireland on their 2022 end-of-year tour and both matches were tense, bone-rattling affairs with the result hanging in the balance at the death.
The Boks lost to Ireland 19-16 in Dublin before going down 30-26 in a match of mesmerising intensity in Marseille. The talismanic Pieter-Steph du Toit and Antoine Dupont were both shown red cards.
The November 8 match against France, which is likely to be in Paris, will be a rematch of the epic Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in 2023, which the Springboks dramatically won 29-28.
It was a brutally physical, nerve-jangling match decided by the thinnest of margins. Cheslin Kolbe’s charge-down of Thomas Ramos’ conversion attempt is often held up as the defining moment that ensured the defending champions would advance at the expense of the home team in front of expectant fans.
🇿🇦 OTD: South Africa knocked France out in their home World Cup Quarter Final.
Final score: France 28 – 29 South Africa.
🤩 How important was this conversion charge down by Cheslin Kolbe?pic.twitter.com/gG7brEhMjB
— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) October 15, 2024
The Springboks’ clash against Italy a week later will be their third against the Azzurri this year. South Africa host Italy in a two-Test series in July. The Springboks have met the Azzurri twice in a calendar year on three occasions, but this will be the first time they meet three times over a 12-month stretch.
The match against Ireland will be as eagerly anticipated as the one against France. It is likely to pit the Rugby World Cup holders against the Six Nations champions.
The Springboks and Ireland have established a bitter rivalry over the past decade. The teams fought tooth and nail in the squared two-Test series in South Africa last year. Two late dropped goals by replacement Ciaran Frawley in Durban ensured Ireland shared the spoils, while leaving the sense that both teams have unfinished business.
Their clash in Dublin on November 22 will be marked in red by Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus. The Boks’ last win over Ireland in Dublin was in 2012, predating the Erasmus era in charge of the Springboks.
The Boks have won just two of their past eight Tests against Ireland in Dublin.
The Springboks’ fixture against Wales in Cardiff on November 29 falls outside the Test window. It will present Erasmus with another opportunity to field players in need of Test caps, while introducing others to the rigours of international rugby.
Fifteen countries will be involved in the Autumn Nations Series, which runs from November 1 to November 29. It will present teams the opportunity to improve their ranking and boost their chances of a more favourable 2027 World Cup draw.
“The Autumn Nations Series continues to deliver an incredible spectacle for fans,” Six Nations Rugby CEO Tom Harrison said. “Host cities will be the perfect backdrop for an incredible atmosphere for rugby fans across the continent.
“On the pitch, the matches will showcase the best of international rugby, with the best teams in the world delivering box-office entertainment throughout November.”
Springboks’ match scheduleNovember 8: France vs SA (10.10pm)November 15 : Italy vs SA (2.40pm)November 22: Ireland vs SA (7.40pm)November 29: Wales vs SA (5.10pm) READ MORE: Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
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