The world champions play on consecutive Saturdays during November.
Though the Springboks won this year’s Rugby Championship just a few weeks ago, their performances have been somewhat erratic in 2025.
And for this reason, coach Rassie Erasmus is hoping there will be more consistency in his team’s performances when the Boks play five Tests in Europe from next weekend.
Erasmus’ team will face Japan in the first of five Tests on consecutive Saturdays at Wembley Stadium in London on 1 November, before lining up against France at Stade de France in Paris (8 November), Italy at the Allianz Stadium, Turin (15 November), Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (22 November), and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (29 November).
While the Boks have produced some good outings this season, like the 43-10 win against the All Blacks in Wellington and the 67-30 win against Argentina in Durban, they have also been very average at times — such as in the first half against the All Blacks in Auckland and the second half against the Wallabies in Joburg.
‘Build consistency’
“We have delivered a few good performances but also a few disappointing ones this season, so this will be a good opportunity to test ourselves and see if we can build consistency from week to week,” said Erasmus of the five-match tour.
“That said, it is going to take a massive effort. It’s a longer tour than usual and we are facing top-class opposition, but we are looking forward to it. We are excited about the tour.”
Looking ahead to the teams the Boks will face, Erasmus said: “Ireland and France are currently ranked third and fourth in the world, while Italy, Wales, and Japan are in 10th, 12th and 13th place, and we’ve seen in the last few years that you cannot write off any team.
“Ireland and France are always tough opposition, and they both won four out of their five Six Nations matches, with France emerging as the eventual champions, and we know how challenging it is to beat them both at home.
“Japan have beaten us before, Italy put up a good fight against us earlier this year in Pretoria, and Wales beat Japan, proving that they are again on an upward trajectory.”
The 36-man Bok squad will depart for London in different groups from their respective franchises and clubs on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
