The Springboks will enjoy some well-deserved time off after reclaiming the Rugby Championship, but it will only be a couple of weeks of rest before they regather to begin preparing for the end-of-year tour.
An extra match has been added to the November fixtures, and this will see the Springboks take on Japan at Wembley on 1 November, which is when rugby fans can look forward to seeing the champions back in action.
It’s likely that Rassie Erasmus will select an experimental side for that game as he continues to build depth and spread out game-time before the team faces France on 8 November when a first-choice team can be expected to take to the field. After this big game against Les Bleus, the Springboks will then tackle Italy, Ireland and Wales.
SPRINGBOKS’ REMAINING FIXTURES THIS YEAR
- 1 November: vs Japan, Wembley. Kick off: 18:10.
- 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: 22:10.
- 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: 14:40
- 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
- 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
The Springboks will head on the end-of-year tour top of the world rankings, which will be an important position to maintain prior to the 2027 World Cup draw in early December.
“We are still in a good position for the Rugby World Cup draw, but there is no doubt we have five tough matches ahead, and there is a lot of work ahead for us,” Rassie Erasmus commented on Saturday.
“The reality is that Argentina defeated Australia, New Zealand, and the British & Irish Lions, so we’ll celebrate tonight and take that positive from this match.”
UPDATED RUGBY WORLD RANKINGS – TOP 10
| Team | Points |
| 1. South Africa | 91.90 (+0.28) |
| 2. New Zealand (↑1) | 90.02 (+0.74) |
| 3. Ireland (↑1) | 89.83 |
| 4. France | 87.82 |
| 5. England | 87.64 |
| 6. Argentina | 84.12 (-0.28) |
| 7. Australia | 82.93 (-0.74) |
| 8, Scotland | 81.57 |
| 9. Fiji | 81.16 |
| 10. Italy | 77.77 |
