Springboks’ July Tests: Fixtures, global kick-off times, referees and where to watch the Nations Championship
Springboks rugby huddle and an inset of head coach Rassie Erasmus.
South Africa will host England, Scotland and Wales in their opening three Test matches of the year in the Nations Championship.
Rassie Erasmus’ men begin their 2026 season in Gqeberha with a double header at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, with South Africa A lining up against the Zimbabwe Sables as a curtain-raiser to the Springboks’ opening match of the season, against the Barbarians on 20 June.
Those two games will be used as preparation for what will be a testing international season for Erasmus and his team ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour.
Springboks’ Nations Championship fixtures
The Boks’ first Test match of the year will take place in Johannesburg with Steve Borthwick’s England tackling the world champions at the iconic Ellis Park Stadium on 4 July. New Zealand’s James Doleman will officiate the clash between the two nations who last met in November 2024 – a fixture South Africa won 29-20 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
It will also be the first match between the Springboks and England in South Africa since the 2018 Test series, which the hosts won 2-1, defeating the then Eddie Jones-coached team in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein but fell to a defeat in Cape Town.
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The Boks’ attention then turns to Gregor Townsend’s Scotland with the two nations colliding at Loftus Versfeld on 11 July. South Africa have won the last nine meetings between the two teams since falling to a 21-17 defeat at Murrayfield back in 2010. This will also be the first time that Scotland face the Boks in South Africa since 2014 after the Scots’ 2020 tour of the republic was cancelled due to the global pandemic. The Scots will be out to claim their first-ever win on South African soil, having failed in their last seven attempts.
South Africa’s final game of the July international window sees Erasmus’ men host Wales at Kings Park Stadium in Durban. The two sides concluded their 2025 international seasons last year with a meeting in Cardiff where the Boks claimed a hammering 73-0 victory. However, Steve Tandy’s men showed signs of great improvement during the 2026 Six Nations and will be keen to replicate their 2022 efforts in South Africa, where they clinched a historic 13-12 victory in Bloemfontein despite losing the series 2-1.
Gqeberha double-header
South Africa A v Zimbabwe Stables
Date: Saturday, 20 June, 2026
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Kick-off: 12:00 (local SAST), 11:00 (UK), 12:00 (France), 12:00 (South Africa), 20:00 (AEST), 22:00 (New Zealand), 07:00 (Argentina), 19:00 (JST), 06:00 (EDT)
Match officials: TBC
Broadcasters: SuperSport (South Africa)
South Africa v Barbarians
Date: Saturday, 20 June, 2026
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Kick-off: 15:00 (local SAST), 14:00 (UK), 15:00 (France), 15:00 (South Africa), 23:00 (AEST), 01:00 (21 June, New Zealand), 10:00 (Argentina), 22:00 (JST), 09:00 (EDT)
Referee: Morné Ferreira (SARU)
Assistant Referees: Griffin Colby (SARU), Hanru van Rooyen (SARU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Springboks’ July fixtures
South Africa v England
Date: Saturday, 4 July, 2026
Venue: Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 16:40 (UK), 17:40 (France), 17:40 (South Africa), 01:40 (5 July, AEST), 03:40 (5 July, New Zealand), 12:40 (Argentina), 00:40 (5 July, JST), 11:40 (EDT)
Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (IRFU), Pierre Brousset (FFR)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
FPRO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
South Africa v Scotland
Date: Saturday, 11 July, 2026
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 16:40 (UK), 17:40 (France), 17:40 (South Africa), 01:40 (12 July, AEST), 03:40 (12 July, New Zealand), 12:40 (Argentina), 00:40 (12 July, JST), 11:40 (EDT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman (NZR), Andrew Brace (IRFU)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
FPRO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
South Africa v Wales
Date: Saturday, 18 July, 2026
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 16:40 (UK), 17:40 (France), 17:40 (South Africa), 01:40 (19 July, AEST), 03:40 (19 July, New Zealand), 12:40 (Argentina), 00:40 (19 July, JST), 11:40 (EDT)
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR), James Doleman (NZR)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)