Kick-off times for Rugby Championship

Editor

The Rugby Championship will get underway on Friday, July 17 when the three-time winners, New Zealand, play host to Argentina in Christchurch.

On the following day, the southern hemisphere action moves over to Brisbane where Australia and South Africa lock horns in a mouth-watering game.

The condensed three-round championship sees teams face each other once, with a champion to be crowned on August 8, before a stand-alone round serves as final preparation for September's much-anticipated Rugby World Cup.

The full draw, including venues and kick-off times is now available with the exception of the Argentina v South Africa clash on August 15 which will take place in Buenos Aires at a stadium to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The first match – a Friday battle between New Zealand and Argentina – will serve as AMI Stadium's debut match in The Rugby Championship, although the temporary Addington, Christchurch venue has previously hosted the All Blacks on two prior occasions (a 22-19 victory over Ireland in 2012 and a 30-0 whitewash of France in 2013).

Brisbane meanwhile has proven a happy hunting ground for Australia with the Wallabies beating the Springboks on seven of eight occasions at Suncorp Stadium with their only blemish being a 38-12 defeat to South Africa in September 2013.

The Rugby Championship commences a fortnight after the Super Rugby Final on July 4 with the last round of matches concluding on August 15, giving teams just over a month before launching their Rugby World Cup campaigns.

For the full draw, click here.