With Australia fresh off an encouraging Test series against the British & Irish Lions, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expects a fierce contest.
The Wallabies arrive with momentum and hunger, eyeing their first-ever victory at Ellis Park. South Africa, meanwhile, aim to turn a focused pre-season camp into a winning start to the Rugby Championship.
With Australia coming off a confidence-boosting 22-12 victory after a heartbreaking 29-26 defeat against the British & Irish Lions, Erasmus expected a challenging test against them.
“Australia showed that they are on the right trajectory in their last two matches against the British & Irish Lions and we have no doubt they will enter this match with confidence and determined to build on those performances,” he said.
“They are a physical and well-coached team, and we’ll certainly not underestimate how much those performances, combined with their motivation to bounce back strongly against us after the last few results between the teams, and win their first match ever at Ellis Park, will inspire them.
“That said, we have also been working hard to keep building on our game and improve, and we believe our two-week conditioning camp has placed us in the right frame of mind for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. So hopefully we can transfer that hard work into our game to place ourselves in a good position to defend the title.”
SPRINGBOKS FIXTURES FOR THE REST OF 2025
- 16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10.
- 23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10.
- 6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05.
- 13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05.
- 27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10.
- 4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00.
- 1 November: vs Japan, Brighton. Kick off: TBD.
- 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: 22:10.
- 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: 14:40
- 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
- 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
SCORE PREDICTIONS?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
