Argentina first up for Boks in Durban

The Springboks will open their Rugby Championship challenge this year in Durban when they host Argentina on August 18.

Sanzaar yesterday confirmed the 12-match schedule for this year’s Rugby Championship including match venues and kick-off times.

The Boks’ other two home matches in the competition are scheduled for September 29 against Australia in Port Elizabeth while Loftus Versfeld will host the All Blacks Test on October 6, the final Bok game in the competition.

Last year Bloemfontein got the Aussie Test, while Cape Town got the Kiwi Test, but with the second and third England Tests in June respectively going to these cities, PE and Pretoria have now been named.

The schedule includes a new Rugby Championship venue. Trafalgar Park, Nelson, will host the New Zealand v Argentina Test in September.

The Rugby Championship kicks off on August 18 when the Wallabies face the All Blacks in Sydney and conclude on October 6 when Argentina host Australia in Salta.

The Boks’ away fixtures include an August 25 Test against Argentina in Mendoza, while on September 8 they will face the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane followed by a meeting with the All Blacks the following weekend on September 15 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

The Boks open their season on June 2 against Wales in Washington, followed by three Tests against England at Ellis Park, Bloemfontein and Newlands.

Last year the Boks won just two of six Tests in the Championship, both against Argentina, while the two meetings with Australia ended in draws, and both games against the All Blacks were lost.

But it was the 57-0 hiding in Albany that is best forgotten, while the Boks fought bravely to lose by just 25-24 in the return Test at Newlands.