So when will the Springboks play again?
The Springboks ended 2024 with 11 wins out of 13, cementing their status as the best team in the world after winning the World Cup last year.
It won’t take long before South African rugby fans start having Springbok ‘withdrawal symptoms’, so when will the national team be back in action?
Well, after facing Ireland in a thrilling two-Test series in South Africa earlier this year, the Springboks are set to take on traditionally weaker opposition in the form of 10th-ranked Italy in July next year.
It’s also been reported that Springboks will likely host a tier two nation in South Africa, as they did with Portugal on 20 July this year. It’s reported that Georgia are the favourites to face the Springboks on South African soil in 2025.
Meanwhile, in the Rugby Championship, South Africa are will tackle the Wallabies in back-to-back home Tests in 2025, while they will also take on New Zealand in two away Tests in a venue reversal of the fixtures from this year.
South Africa will also have a home and an away match against Argentina as they look to defend their Rugby Championship title.
The cities that will host South Africa’s home international – and exact fixture dates – are still to be decided, but Erasmus is expected to have a considerable influence in selecting those venues.
Since 1995, the Springboks have faced Italy in 16 Tests, winning 15 and Italy only one in Florence in 2016 (20-18).
LATEST WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS AT THE END OF THE WEEKEND AS THE SPRINGBOKS LEAD THE WAY
| RANK | COUNTRY | POINTS |
| 1 | South Africa | 92.78 |
| 2 | Ireland | 90.78 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 90.36 |
| 4 | France | 88.51 |
| 5 | Argentina | 84.97 |
| 6 | Scotland | 83.34 |
| 7 | England | 82.31 |
| 8 | Australia | 82.17 |
| 9 | Fiji | 80.07 |
| 10 | Italy | 78.64 |
| 11 | Wales | 74.01 |
| 12 | Georgia | 73.85 |
| 13 | Japan | 72.95 |
| 14 | Samoa | 72.68 |
| 15 | USA | 68.90 |
| 16 | Portugal | 68.82 |
| 17 | Spain | 67.10 |
| 18 | Uruguay | 65.94 |
| 19 | Tonga | 65.46 |
| 20 | Romania | 64.13 |
WEEKEND TEST RESULTS
All times SA
FRIDAY, 22 NOVEMBER
France 37-23 Argentina
SATURDAY, 23 NOVEMBER
Spain 23-26 USA
Ireland 52-17 Fiji
Romania 21-23 Uruguay
Wales 12-45 South Africa
Italy 11-29 New Zealand
SUNDAY, 24 NOVEMBER
Scotland 27-13 Australia – 15:40
Georgia 22-7 Tonga – 16:00
England 59-14 Japan – 18:10
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ALL THESE RESULTS?
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