Springboks to open 2026 season against the Barbarians: All the fixtures

The Springboks will face the invitational Barbarians in their season opener in late June, as they did last year. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images For the second year in a row, the Springboks will open their season with a friendly match against the Barbarians, this time in Gqeberha, on 20 June. Two weeks later the Boks will start their season proper, with their first match of the inaugural Nations Championship, against England at Ellis Park.

They will also then face Scotland and Wales on consecutive weekends in July in Pretoria and Durban respectively to complete their home fixtures in the Nations Championship. They will play the other teams in the competition away in November, namely Italy, France and Ireland. Sandwiched between the Nations Championship matches in July (home) and November (away) will be the four Tests in the Greatest Rivalry Tour series against the All Blacks (in South Africa in August and September) as well as a one-off Test against Australia in Perth in late September.

First up though will be the Barbarians, who’ll be coached by former All Blacks boss Scott Robertson and Los Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi. They’ll be supported by Racing 92 head coach Patrice Collazo and Argentina assistant coach Kenny Lynn. The Boks won last season’s match against the Barbarians 54-7 in Cape Town.

[paywall]

“It’s always exciting to face the BaaBaas, and we are looking forward to hosting them in South Africa for the second year in a row – this time at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where we have traditionally enjoyed fantastic support,” said Bok boss Rassie Erasmus. “With our opening Nations Championship encounter against England two weeks later, this will be an ideal opportunity to get the players match-ready against a side that always boasts top players from across the world. “The key for us, however, will be to focus on our structures and what we want to achieve on the field. This is a new season with two new exciting competitions, so the sooner we get into a Test match mindset, the better.”

[/paywall]