When are the Springboks back in action?

The current focus for South African rugby is still centred around the domestic team’s performances in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup, but this attention will soon shift to the Springboks’ planning for their World Cup title defence.

Some alignment and planning camps are expected to take place in the near future, while the Rugby Championship – shortened to just a single round of fixtures – will kick off in July.

The Springboks have already planned some blockbuster World Cup warm-up matches, before settling on their 33-man squad that will be heading to France for the World Cup.

It’s still early days, but for those wondering when the Springboks are next in action, here are some of the key dates to stick in your diary.

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SPRINGBOKS FIXTURES IN 2023

Rugby Championship:

✈ 8 July: Springboks vs Australia (Venue and time TBC)

✈ 15 July: Springboks vs New Zealand (Venue and time TBC)

✈ 29 July: Springboks vs Argentina (Venue and time TBC)

World Cup warm-ups:

✈ 5 August: Springboks vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)

✈ 19 August: Springboks vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

✈ 25 August: Springboks vs New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Rugby World Cup:

✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille) 

✈ 17 September: South Africa vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux) 

✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) 

✈ 1 October: South Africa vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)

Meanwhile, in other news, there is hope that Springboks lock RG Snyman is making encouraging progress with his injury recovery.

Snyman has played just four games for Munster over two years and has yet to play for the Springboks since helping them win the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The powerful lock has endured a nightmare period with knee injuries, while he also sustained burns in a firepit accident in June 2021, further delaying his return.

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Snyman is still battling back from a second cruciate knee injury after suffering a setback in his recovery earlier this season, but this week was involved in some light training with the Irish club.

It’s believed Munster are hopeful that Snyman will be back in action for the second half of the season, and there is every chance he could be back in contention for Springboks selection prior to the start of the Rugby Championship.

He will have limited time to stake a claim for World Cup selection, but there is no doubt that he remains on the Springboks’ radar considering he is one of the most talented locks in world rugby when fit and in form.

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SNYMAN FEATURED IN 23 TESTS BETWEEN 2018 AND 2019

Snyman’s fellow South African born lock Jean Kleyn recently hailed the character that the 27-year-old has displayed.

“I actually can’t commend the man more,” Kleyn said. “He’s had two years from hell in terms of not just his injuries, but family bereavements, being away from home as well during all of this.

“I think it speaks volumes of his character that he’s still coming in every day, big smile on his face, always involved. He has been sitting in on meetings for the last two years and still trying to add even though he knows he’s six or eight months out – obviously that’s six to eight months ago.

“There’s not a single fella that’s not excited to have him as part of the team and back in training, back on the pitch. He’s a fella that slotted in incredibly well from the start, he’s an incredibly likeable guy.

“His resilience is insane. I’ve never met a fella who has gone through more and maintained a more positive mindset. It’s astonishing. I’d say if I was in the same position, I would just have thrown the towel in.

“Nothing seems to be able to keep him down for too long. He’s a phenomenal guy. We’re all very much looking forward to seeing him on the pitch again. He was involved during the warm up and a bit of skills today and you can just see that the man is just an athlete. He’s a 6′ 10″, 135 kilo athlete, which is scary. So we’re all looking forward to seeing him involved again. He’s going to be a massive benefit to the team.”

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