What time is kick off for the Springboks v Wales Test?
The Springboks are set to return to action for the first time since winning the World Cup as they get set to tackle Wales for the Qatar Airways Cup on Saturday, 22 June.
Kick-off is at 15:00 (SA time), while the match build up on SuperSport will start at 14:00.
The fixture will form part of a blockbuster ‘double header’ that will also see the Barbarians also taking on Fiji for the Killik Cup.
South Africa’s match-day squad for this opening Test of the season will be announced on Tuesday, and several newcomers are expected to earn inclusion alongside a few World Cup winners.
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The Springboks will be favourites against Wales
Rassie Erasmus said he was satisfied that the Springboks have a solid base to build from after recently concluding an in-depth training camp.
“It has been an extremely productive week on the field, and we are pleased with the quality of our training sessions and the manner in which the new players have grasped our systems and slotted in at training,” said Erasmus.
“It was also fantastic to see how the more experienced players took them under their wing and assisted them during training.
“The Stormers players arrived on Wednesday and they also immediately made their presence felt at training. The alignment camps hosted earlier in the season were invaluable in allowing the players to familiarise themselves with our structures and it was good to see how things came together on the field after all the off-field sessions we held at the in-person and online sessions in March and May respectively.”
Erasmus added: “With a good balance of youth and experience in the squad we will be in a good position to select a quality squad for the Wales Test, and although we plan to blood a few youngsters next week, we are determined to kick-start the season under this new era on a good note and set a strong tone for the Incoming Series, which kicks off against Ireland in Pretoria on Saturday 6 July.
“Obviously with Siya Kolisi not available for selection, we will select a new captain for this match, but we have a good group of experienced players in the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Bongi Mbonambi as options for the captaincy next week.
“We will then select a captain for the season before the Incoming season.”
2024 FIXTURES:
Saturday, 22 June: SA vs Wales (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 6 July: SA vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 13 July: SA vs Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, 20 July: SA vs Portugal (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, 10 August: Australia vs SA (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Saturday, 17 August: Australia vs SA (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Saturday, 31 August: SA vs New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 7 September: SA v New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 21 September: Argentina v SA (Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago)
Saturday, 28 September: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
Sunday, 10 November: Scotland vs SA (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
Saturday, 16 November: England vs SA (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 23 November: Wales vs SA (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
