Coach Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks’ biggest challenge ahead of the 2027 World Cup will be getting the balance for the 2026 season “absolutely right”.
After a dominant 2025, South Africa will go into an unusual 2026 season with one eye keenly focused on the global showpiece in Australia.
The Boks face fierce rivals the All Blacks in the four-match Greatest Rivalry series and will also play in the new Nations Championship, which Erasmus likened to a tier-one World Cup.
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“We’ve got two massive competitions to play next year,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll take any game lightly but I think we will be willing to take a few shots and maybe a uppercut here and say ‘OK, guys, we roll the dice here’.”
“You don’t want to be punch drunk next year November, December, and you want to make sure you have players who you can pick for the next year [2027] who can win the World Cup.”
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He added: “Would you rather, in a year before the World Cup, lift the Nations Cup trophy, or be ready for the World Cup? So that’s a difficult thing to handle.
“The World Cup is only 18 months out – we have to start focusing on it now.”
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Springboks’ confirmed 2026 fixtures
4 July: vs England, TBC (Nations Championship)
11 July: vs Scotland, TBC (Nations Championship)
18 July: vs Wales, TBC (Nations Championship)
22 August: vs All Blacks, Ellis Park (Greatest Rivalry)
29 August: vs All Blacks, Cape Town Stadium (Greatest Rivalry)
5 September: vs All Blacks, FNB Stadium (Greatest Rivalry)
12 September: vs All Blacks, TBC (Greatest Rivalry)
7 November: vs Italy, TBC (Nations Championship)
14 November: vs France, TBC (Nations Championship)
21 November: vs Ireland, TBC (Nations Championship)
Photo: Kian Abdullah/Gallo Images
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