Rugby fans were delighted to receive the news that a full scale Rugby Championship is set to take place in 2021. Last year the Springboks participation in the tournament proved impossible and the tournament reverted to the old Tri-nations format, featuring Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. The Bok's are back this year though to defend the title they won in 2019.
The tournament is set to kick off on the 14th of August with South Africa facing Argentina in SA for two games, before both sides embark on a tour to New Zealand and Australia for the remainder of the tournament. The last round will take place on the 02nd of October.
No games are scheduled to take place in Argentina due to the pandemic, but the Argentinian side should draw confidence from the fact that they managed to topple the mighty All Blacks last year in far less than ideal circumstances. The last rounds of the competition will rotate between Australia and New Zealand in an attempt to limit travel.
The clash between the Springboks and the All Blacks is a historic one as it is the 100th clash between the two sides in the 100th year since they first played. That fixture is scheduled to take place in Dunedin on the 25th of September and presents a massive opportunity for the Bok's to prove they deserve their number 1 ranking.
The Springboks have won the Championship 4 times (1998, 2004, 2009, 2019) with arguably their best showing coming in 2009 after they faced the British and Irish Lions. The side under the tutelage of head coach Jacques Nienaber will be looking to emulate that success in full scale this year. It was a Ricky Januarie try that famously snatched victory at the death in Dunedin 12 years ago, so the chance for a new Bok hero presents itself.
Whatever happens in the tournament, fans will be spoilt with some of the best rugby on show over the course of 8 weeks. It's great to see the Southern Hemisphere sides returning and competitions starting to normalise. find your full fixture list below:
14 August
Springboks v Argentina (SA)
21 August
Springboks v Argentina (SA)
Australia v New Zealand (Perth)
28 August
New Zealand v Australia (Wellington)
11 September
New Zealand v Argentina (Auckland)
Springboks v Australia (Aus)
18 September
Argentina v New Zealand (Wellington)
Springboks v Australia (Brisbane)
25 September
New Zealand v Springboks (Dunedin)
Australia v Argentina (Aus)
02 October
Springboks v New Zealand (Auckland)
Argentina v Australia (Aus)