Springboks in France: What you need to know

With less than 100 days to go until the Springboks begin their title defence in France, here’s everything you need to know.

As it stands, the Springboks are apparently keeping track of around 45 players before trimming the group to 33 for the global showpiece. Ultimately, it’s still early days, and there is plenty that could happen between now and then as players jostle to book their tickets to the World Cup.

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It’s now been confirmed that the final squad will be finalised and revealed on Tuesday, 8 August.

It effectively means that the shortened single-round Rugby Championship will serve as the final opportunity for players to cement their place in the squad.

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WHERE THE SPRINGBOKS WILL PLAY THEIR POOL B MATCHES:

• Sunday, 10 September v Scotland – Marseille
• Sunday, 17 September v Romania – Bordeaux
• Saturday, 23 September v Ireland – Saint-Denis
• Sunday, 1 October v Tonga – Marseille

BOK 2023 FIXTURES:

Rugby Championship:
Saturday, 8 July – Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 15 July – Springboks vs New Zealand (Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland)
Saturday, 29 July – Springboks vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

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RWC warm-up fixtures:
Saturday, 5 August – Springboks v Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Saturday, 19 August – Boks vs Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
Friday, 25 August – Springboks vs New Zealand (Twickenham, London)

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RWC fixtures:
Sunday, 10 September – Boks v Scotland (Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
Sunday, 17 September – Boks v Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
Saturday, 23 September – Boks v Ireland (Stade de France, Paris)
Sunday, 1 October – Boks v Tonga (Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Weekend of 14/15 October – Quarter-finals
Weekend of 21/22 October – Semi-finals
Saturday, 28 October – Final

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