The Springboks are set to lock horns with old rivals New Zealand in London next year.

The clash will take place at Twickenham on 25 August, in the buildup to South Africa’s World Cup title defence which kicks off in Marseille on 10 September when they face Scotland, before crossing swords with Romania (17 September in Bordeaux), Ireland (23 September in Paris) and Tonga (1 October in Marseille) in Pool B encounters.

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The mouthwatering Test against New Zealand follows another 2023 World Cup warm-up fixture for the Boks, against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 19 August.

The Boks will line up against the Kiwis in England for only the second time – the old foes faced each other once before at Twickenham, in 2015, when the All Blacks won a tense Rugby World Cup semi-final by 20-18, before they went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup a week later at the same venue.

“The Springboks and All Blacks share one of the greatest rivalries in rugby, and to face them at Twickenham will be an exciting experience for the players and our fans,” said Rassie Erasmus.

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“The match will take place shortly before we kick off our World Cup campaign, and both this encounter and the Test against Wales will be vital for us to measure ourselves before the competition and to put the final building in blocks in place so that we can enter the showpiece in the desired form.”

Jacques Nienaber added: “We are excited to play this vital fixture against one of our main arch-rivals before the Rugby World Cup at the iconic Twickenham Stadium. There is a large contingent of passionate expats and Springbok supporters in London, and we have no doubt they will come out and support us in what we know will be a massive occasion for both teams before the World Cup.”

Commenting on the clash, All Blacks coach Ian Foster said: “This match will form an important part of our preparations for Rugby World Cup. Matches against the Springboks are always hard fought and we are expecting nothing less than a titanic battle on this unique occasion.”

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England RFU CEO Bill Sweeney added: “We are looking forward to welcoming two powerhouses of global rugby. Both nations have sizable ex-pat communities in London and beyond, who will no doubt contribute to what is set to be an electric atmosphere at Twickenham Stadium.”

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