Feb 24 (Reuters) - South Africa will play a one-off test against Australia in Perth in September and start their season at home against a Barbarians side led by former New Zealand coach Scott Robertson and Argentina’s Felipe Contepomi, team officials said on Tuesday.
The fixture against the 2027 Rugby World Cup hosts on September 27 takes the number of scheduled tests to 11 in 2026 for the Springboks. They will also be involved in the finals weekend of the new Nations Championship in London.
The Barbarians game in Gqeberha on June 20 is not an official test, but will be used by coach Rassie Erasmus to fine-tune ahead of the international season, as he did when the sides met in Cape Town in 2025, where the Springboks won 54-7.
South Africa will host England at Ellis Park in the Nations Championship on July 4, which is the official start of their season. They then play Scotland and Wales at home in consecutive weekends.
Erasmus’ side host New Zealand for three tests in August and September as part of the "Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry" tour, before the teams head to Baltimore, United States for a fourth fixture on September 12.
The Springboks face Australia in Perth two weeks later, before three matches in the Nations Championship against Italy, France and Ireland.
Where they finish in the table will determine who they play on finals weekend from November 27-29.
(Reporting by Nick Said,editing by Ed Osmond)
