The Springboks will play their sixth test match at Mbombela Stadium on July 19. SA Rugby announced yesterday, February 27, that South Africa will face Georgia in a Castle Lager Incoming Series match on the day.

The Boks will open their Castle Lager Incoming Series season against Italy at Loftus Versfeld on July 5. The two teams will meet again at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha a week later, on July 12.

The last test in the Castle Lager Incoming Series is the one against Georgia at Mbombela Stadium – only the third match between the two sides in history.

The first two matches between the nations were in Sydney during the 2003 Rugby World Cup (SA 40 – Georgia 16) and in Pretoria in 2021 (SA 40 – Georgia 9), with the latter being played in an empty stadium due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Boks have played five matches and won five at Mbombela Stadium. In 2013, they defeated Scotland 30-17 and in 2014 beat Wales 31-30. In 2016, South Africa played against Argentina at Mbombela Stadium and won 30-23. South Africa won the 2022 match against the All Blacks 26-10 and also defeated Argentina 48-7 in 2024.

Georgia is currently ranked 11th in the world.

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The Boks will begin their Castle Lager Rugby Championship title defence against Australia at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on August 16 and then face Australia again at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on August 23, before travelling to New Zealand for successive tests against the All Blacks in Auckland and Wellington on September 6 and 13 respectively.

They will then return to South Africa for their final home test of the year against Argentina at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on September 27, before the away match against the Pumas a week later at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, London.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was pleased with the test venues and said it sparked even more excitement among the coaches for the 2025 season. “The confirmation of the test venues always gives us peace of mind from a coaching and management team perspective because it means we can step up our planning, and it also boosts the excitement from the public for the season,” said Erasmus.

Erasmus is content with the hard work done behind the scenes so far, as they look to build on a successful 2024 season. “We are already at an advanced stage of our planning from a coaching, logistics and operations perspective, and it’s exciting to see how everything is coming together ahead of another challenging and exciting season.”

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer shared Erasmus’s excitement following the confirmation of the test venues and said: “All six home tests will be played at top-class venues, and we are pleased that we will see the Boks run out in five different provinces. The team enjoys a lot of support throughout the country. We had more than 300 000 fans in attendance at our home tests last year, and by spreading out the matches, hopefully it allows as many people as possible to see them live in action.”

Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.co.za.*

Springbok home fixtures in 2025:
Castle Lager Incoming Series:
• July 5: SA v Italy – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
• July 12: SA v Italy – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
• July 19: SA v Georgia – Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela
Castle Lager Rugby Championship:
• August 16: SA v Australia – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
• August 23: SA v Australia – DHL Stadium, Cape Town
• September 27: SA v Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban.

*This story has been amended. Lowvelder previously reported that tickets are for sale at the Mbombela Stadium ticket office. However, this is not the case this year, and tickets are only available for purchase through www.ticketmaster.co.za. Tickets cannot be purchased at the stadium.