CARDIFF, WALES - NOVEMBER 26: General view of during the South Africa national men's team training session at Cardiff Met University on November 26, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Kian Abdullah/Gallo Images)
The South African ‘A’ rugby team will make a welcome return to the rugby calendar when they line up against the Zimbabwe Sables as a curtain-raiser to the Springboks’ opening match of the season, against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on 20 June, in a thrilling double header.
The last time the SA ‘A’ team took the field was during the 2022 season when they faced Munster and the Bristol Bears in the UK in November of that year.
The Zimbabwe Sables are preparing for a rare appearance at a Rugby World Cup in Australia next year and will get a good hit-out against the SA ‘A’ team.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the match would be a good opportunity for him to see players within his wider Bok squad and others knocking on the door take on their Zimbabwean counterparts.
“The match between the SA ‘A’ team and Zimbabwe will serve as a fantastic opportunity for both teams to achieve some of their objectives with the Rugby World Cup in mind, and from a South African point of view, we have seen the benefits of having an SA ‘A’ team playing against quality opposition,” said Erasmus.
“We have done well to rotate our squad and give several players a chance in the last two seasons, but there are others who have performed really well outside of that group, who we would like to see in action, so we’ll be able to cast our net wider as we prepare for that encounter.”
Zimbabwe head coach Pieter Benade was equally thrilled about his charges facing the SA ‘A’ team and said: “We’re excited for the opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s top rugby nations and a truly elite system. It’s a challenge we embrace and one that promises to push our standards to another level. Experiences like this are invaluable.”
The SA ‘A’ game is scheduled to kick off at 12pm, and the match between the Springboks and the Barbarians at 3pm.
The Springboks meanwhile will host their second alignment camp in May, and Erasmus is set to name his squad for their official training camp in June, a few weeks later. The coach for the SA ‘A’ team will also be announced in due course.
Springbok fixtures in 2026:
International:
Saturday 20 June: Springboks v Barbarians and SA ‘A’ v Zimbabwe (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha)
Nations Championship:
Saturday 4 July: Springboks v England (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday 11 July: Springboks v Scotland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday 18 July: Springboks v Wales (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry:
Saturday 22 August: Springboks v All Blacks (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday 29 August: Springboks v All Blacks (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday 5 September: Springboks v All Blacks (FNB Stadium, Johannesburg)
Saturday 12 September: Springboks v All Blacks (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, USA)
Once-off Tests:
Saturday 8 August: Argentina v Springboks (Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Buenos Aires)
Sunday 27 September: Wallabies v Springboks (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Nations Championship:
Saturday 7 November: Italy v Springboks (Venue TBC)
Friday 13 November: France v Springboks (Stade de France, Paris)
Saturday 21 November: Ireland v Springboks (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November: Finals Weekend (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London)
