OPINION: Is another Boks Test, against the Wallabies, a good thing?

The Springboks have reportedly added an extra Test to their schedule this season, against the Wallabies in Perth in late September.

It comes hot on the heels of another reported additional match, against the Barbarians in Gqeberha at the end of June, but both still have to be confirmed by SA Rugby, and once they are it will take the Boks’ Test tally up to 13 matches for the season.

Both these games will give the Bok management a chance to continue rotating their squad and testing their depth, while the Barbarians match will also allow them to get some valuable game time into their Japan-based players again, which they did last year.

But the Wallabies match in Australia is weirdly placed, and comes after a bruising Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.

So, it will be interesting to see what sort of team the Boks will be looking to send Down Under, and that could be what either makes it a worthwhile friendly, or a bit of a gamble.

Nations Cup

With the Nations Cup competition kicking off in July, the Boks host England, Scotland and Wales, with the latter match in Durban a good opportunity to give some of the extended squad a run.

The Greatest Rivalry tour then takes centre stage, with two Tests at the end of August and two at the start of September, and it is unlikely that the Boks will rotate their squad too much during these games.

Added to that they have to travel to the USA for the fourth Test, following which they will likely return to South Africa for a week, before setting off Down Under to take on the Wallabies.

That is a lot of travel for the players, and a lot of heavy game time, and many of them will likely need a bit of a break, with the new URC season kicking off at the end of September, and then the Nations Cup again happening up north in November.

If the Boks are planning to use the Wallabies game to give their extended squad a run it is probably worth it. But, in all honesty, what would they be gaining?