South Africa face a season that may include as many as 13 Tests, with an inter-hemisphere tournament and consecutive matches against New Zealand testing squad depth like never before. The Springboks are better placed than most to navigate one of the most demanding Test seasons in history – yet there is room for growth with a view to the Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand as well as the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The Six Nations kicks off on 5 February, and the biggest challenge facing the respective teams is the new schedule of five matches in six weeks.
The well-stocked England and France teams are early favourites for the title, whereas more limited sides such as Ireland may struggle to maintain a high standard over the course of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Springboks continue to plan for a season that may include as many as 13 Test matches – with seven Nations Championship fixtures and four Tests against New Zealand already confirmed, and one-off games against Australia and Argentina waiting for the green light. There may also be an extra warm-up match.
Although Rassie Erasmus has built a world-class squad over the past eight years, the 2026 schedule will test South Africa’s depth like never before. Every Nations Championship match represents an opportunity for log points – and ultimately a place in the final of the inaugural inter-hemisphere tournament in London on 29 November. The Greatest Rivalry series will pit the Boks against the All Blacks in four consecutive Tests staged across late August and early September, with the first three playing out in South Africa before a potential series decider in Baltimore in the US.
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No team will emerge from the brutal 2026 schedule unscathed, and no coach will have the luxury of fielding the same match 23 on a regular basis. Fortunately for the Boks, Erasmus has been rotating his squad for some time, and the smart management of the group across the 2025 season may set SA up for another successful run in 2026. In a sense, the 2025 season provided a taste of the challenges to come.
Erasmus selected 36 players for the tour to Europe last November, in spite of a fixture list that included matches against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales in the space of five weeks. The Boks went on to win all five matches, and the coaches received valuable answers regarding the challenge of playing consecutive Tests against world-class opposition. Looking back, Erasmus and company made the most of those opportunities, and not just in terms of results.
That data will serve them well as they prepare for four consecutive games against the All Blacks in 2026, and for the next World Cup, which will include a four-week playoff structure. Speaking at an informal media gathering in Cape Town this week, Erasmus cited specific matches across the 2025 season where he rotated the team without compromising the quest for results.
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