When the Springboks first play again in 2019, they’ll play a Test on the highveld and another on the coast.
A try is celebrated by the Springbok squad. Picture courtesy of BackpagePix
A thrilling matchup awaits the Springboks when they play a top side they met at the World Cup when they return to action the following year. In a crucial pool match early in the Rugby World Cup, the Springboks were painfully defeated by Ireland; yet, it proved to be their only loss of the competition.
Remarkably, and as TheSouthAfrican has already revealed, the Springboks will take on Ireland during the July international window of the next year.
Ireland is likely to travel to South Africa in order to defend their Six Nations crown, and the series is anticipated to last at least two games.
Leading rugby writer Hendrik Cronje says Durban and Pretoria will host these two Test matches.
Naturally, the Boks will be trying to take advantage of their altitude when they play at Loftus, where they have a 77% victory record, and hoping to make a strong showing at Kings Park, where they only have a 62% win record.
In spite of the fact that the itinerary has not yet been made public, Irish supporters can already express interest in vacation packages to South Africa.
It’s sure to be an incredible battle, and a wonderful set of fixtures to look forward to as Ireland take on a team that ultimately displaced them from No 1 in the world rankings during the recent global showpiece.
THE SPRINGBOKS FINISH THE YEAR AS THE NO 1 TEAM IN THE WORLD
South Africa is still ranked first, but their lead will grow to 1.75 points thanks to an improved rating of 94.54 points.
England closes the gap on the top four but will still finish fifth, 2.27 points behind France, having earned nearly the same number of points for their 26-23 victory over Argentina in the bronze final.
Argentina, with a lower rating of 80.68 points, will continue to occupy seventh place, just ahead of Wales.
