The Springboks’ Test campaign is in full swing, and while it’s difficult to gauge the team’s overall success after just five games, they boast an excellent win percentage so far.
Heading into this season on the back of their World Cup triumph, the Springboks had a blockbuster Test schedule that included a double dose of fixtures against all of Argentina, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Wales and one against each of England, Portugal and Scotland.
The double world champions were to play six of the aforementioned 13 Test matches in 2024 in South Africa in front of their home crowds and the other seven in Europe as well as Australia and Argentina.
Well, five of those Test game now come and gone, one of which was away and three on home turf.
MID-YEAR OUTINGS A TEST OF CHARACTER
The Springboks began their reign as back-to-back world champions and their second spell under the tutelage of Rassie Erasmus with an exhibition Test against Wales at Twickenham in London on 22 June. And they ran in five tries to trash Wales 41-13.
Erasmus’ men then returned to South Africa for three epic showdown’s on home soil.
First up were the two mouthwatering Tests against the Irish. The highly-anticipated series pitted the two top-ranked sides in the world against each other and by the end of the tour there was still nothing separating the sides as the series ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
The Springboks won the first Test Loftus Versfeld 27-20, but Ireland hit back to win the second game 25-24 at Kings Park a week later.
Erasmus’ Springboks will then rounded off their mid-year Test campaign with an historic encounter with a resounding 64-21 demolition of Portugal in Bloemfontein.
SPRINGBOKS RETURN TO TRADITIONAL TOURNAMENT AND RIVALRIES
The Boks then immediately shifted their focus to the Rugby Championship, despite there’ll being a three-week break in play before the southern hemisphere’s premier rugby tournament kicked off.
On Saturday, the Springboks finally buried their Brisbane ghost with a 33-7 win over the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium, a first victory there since 2013 and just the second in 13 attempts dating back to 1996.
The Springboks will round off this tour of Australia with a second away Test against the Wallabies in Perth on 17 August before returning home.
Luckily, the arduousness of the trip down under will be offset by another two-week break in play, before the Springboks tackle the All Blacks at Ellis Park on 31 August and Cape Town Stadium on 7 September.
The two games against Los Pumas will be home and away fixtures, with the first of the two taking place in Argentina and the second at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit in September.
END-OF-YEAR EUROPEAN TOUR: PARTY OR PAIN?
Erasmus will then lead his men into battle in Europe, where they are primed to clash with Scotland in Edinburgh, England in London and Wales in Cardiff.
Those three Tests will be played on the weekends of 10, 16 and 23 November.
STATE OF THE BOK CAMPAIGN SO FAR: WIN RATIO
Five games into the 13-Test season and the Springboks are sitting pretty with an 80% win ratio (four wins and one defeat).
With tough encounters against the All Blacks and the high-flying Argentina looming large, it remains to be seen whether Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks can maintain their 80%-plus win record by the end of the Rugby Championship.
As it stands, the odds are heavily stacked in the Boks’ favour to do just that.
SPRINGBOKS’ FULL 2024 TEST SCHEDULE
Mid-year Test results
Saturday, 22 June: Springboks beat Wales 41-13 (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 6 July: SA beat Ireland 27-20 (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 13 July: Springboks lost 24-25 to Ireland (Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, 20 July: SA beat Portugal 64-21 (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Rugby Championship fixtures and results
Saturday, 10 August: Australia lost 7-33 to Springboks (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Saturday, 17 August: Australia vs SA (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Saturday, 31 August: Springboks vs New Zealand (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 7 September: SA v New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 21 September: Argentina v Springboks (Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago)
Saturday, 28 September: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
End-of-year-tour fixtures
Sunday, 10 November: Scotland vs Springboks (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
Saturday, 16 November: England vs SA (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 23 November: Wales vs Springboks (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
WILL SPRINGBOKS MAINTAIN THEIR HIGH WIN RATIO?
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