| 2026 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa | |||||
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 Tour promotional logo | |||||
| Date | 7 August – 12 September 2026 | ||||
| Opponent |
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 South Africa | |||||
| Tour chronology | |||||
The2026 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa, promoted asRugby's Greatest Rivalry,[1][2] is a scheduled internationalrugby union tour that will take place in South Africa between August and September 2026.[3]
The tour was confirmed in October 2025, and meant a restructuring ofThe Rugby Championship,[4] the annualSouthern Hemisphere men's rugby union competition organised bySANZAAR, which features the national teams ofArgentina,Australia,New Zealand andSouth Africa, which was moved from an annual event to a biennial event.[5]
Alongside the New Zealand tour will be aSouth Africa women vs.New Zealand womencurtain raiser match at FNB Stadium on 5 September, ahead of the third Test.[6][7][8]
Since the earliest years of international rugby union, it was customary for the three formerBritish dominions ofAustralia,New Zealand, andSouth Africa to undertake reciprocal touring arrangements. Between 1903 and 1995, Australia and New Zealand alone conducted more thanforty tours of one another, while South Africa hosted Australia and New Zealand on five and six occasions respectively between 1928 andNew Zealand's controversial 1976 tour.[9]
During the mid to late twentieth century, this system of extended, bilateral tours was periodically expanded to include the rugby nations of Europe (Great Britain:England,Scotland,Wales, andIreland andFrance). Throughout his period, international rugby was defined by these lengthy tours and persisted until the introduction of the quadrennialRugby World Cup (RWC) in1987. However, thesporting boycotts imposed on South Africa in response toapartheid resulted in the Springboks playing very few international fixtures throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Following their readmission to international rugby in the early 1990s, the country hosted and participated in its first Rugby World Cup in1995 (the third tournament in the competition's history). That same year marked the formalprofessionalisation of rugby union. In 1996, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa established a joint union,SANZAR,[10] and established the annualTri Nations Series (now known asThe Rugby Championship), effectively ending the traditional touring practice.[11]
TheDaily Maverick reported in February 2024 that "advanced talks" were taking place between theSouth African Rugby Union (SARU) andNew Zealand Rugby (NZR) about a possible return of traditional tours between New Zealand and South Africa.[12]SABC Sport later reported in May 2024 that traditional tours between New Zealand and South Africa were set to resume in 2026 on a four-year reciprocal cycle, with the SARU and NZR believed to have reached an in-principle agreement.[13] It was also reported that the two unions had been in discussions since 2023 regarding the revival of the historic tours, which was confirmed by the SARU president Mark Alexander and NZR chief executive Mark Robinson.[13] According to the report, New Zealand were scheduled to tour South Africa in 2026 for a three-Test series, alongside five mid-week matches against the four South AfricanUnited Rugby Championship (URC) provincial teams (Bulls,Lions,Sharks,Stormers), alongside a fixture againstSouth Africa A.[13] In September 2024, theDaily Maverick reported that "formal agreements" between the SARU and NZR had been made,[14][15] confirming the return of the of traditional tour.[14] It was revealed to be a New Zealand eight-match tour of South Africa, including four Test matches, with one set to be played at a neutral venue.[14] The tour itself was officially confirmed in October 2025,[2][16] and revealed the specific details of fixtures to be played as well as venues.[16]
A general tour outline was revealed during news reports throughout 2024. The full tour schedule was revealed on 16 October 2025.[2]
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 August (Friday) | Stormers |  New Zealand | Cape Town Stadium,Cape Town | Match details | |
| 11 August (Tuesday) | Sharks | New Zealand | Kings Park Stadium,Durban | Match details | |
| 15 August (Saturday) | Bulls | New Zealand | Loftus Versfeld Stadium,Pretoria | Match details | |
| 22 August (Saturday) | South Africa | New Zealand | Ellis Park Stadium,Johannesburg | Match details | |
| 25 August (Tuesday) | Lions | New Zealand | Ellis Park Stadium,Johannesburg | Match details | |
| 29 August (Saturday) | South Africa | New Zealand | Cape Town Stadium,Cape Town | Match details | |
| 5 September (Saturday) | South Africa | New Zealand | FNB Stadium,Johannesburg | Match details | |
| 12 September (Saturday) | South Africa | New Zealand | M&T Bank Stadium,Baltimore (United States) | Match details |
Tour venues were first speculated bySABC Sport in May 2024, with a report stating that: "A fourth Test match between the two sides [South Africa, New Zealand] is also set to be hosted at a neutral venue, with the Springboks then touring New Zealand in 2030."[13] All of the matches hosted in South Africa were confirmed on 16 October 2025 after both theSouth African Rugby Union (SARU) andNew Zealand Rugby (NZR) announced the return of the traditional tour.[2][3] In the announcement the venues were confirmed to beEllis Park Stadium,FNB Stadium,Cape Town Stadium,Kings Park Stadium, andLoftus Versfeld Stadium.[2][3] Two of the four Tests are to be played inJohannesburg, with one to be played inCape Town. A fourth Test venue was at first not announced,[2][3] and was reportedly on neutral territory. Speculation by media sources has pointed toTwickenham Stadium in London,[17] andCroke Park in Dublin.[18][19] In January 2026, the neutral venue was confirmed to be in theM&T Bank Stadium inBaltimore,Maryland,United States.[20][21] It is the first time the two teams have met each other in theUnited States.[21]
| Johannesburg, Gauteng | Cape Town, Western Cape | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Park Stadium | FNB Stadium | Cape Town Stadium | Kings Park Stadium |
| Capacity:62,500 | Capacity:95,000[22][23] | Capacity:58,000[24] | Capacity:46,000[25] |
 |  |  |  |
| Pretoria, Gauteng | |||
| Loftus Versfeld Stadium | |||
| Capacity:51,762[26] | |||
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It currently has a capacity of 46,000 and is the home ground of theSharks.
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| See also | |||||||||||||
Rugby union tours of South Africa | |
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| British & Irish Lions | |
| New Zealand | |
Australia  | |
Argentina  | |
England  | |
France  | |
Ireland  | |
Italy  | |
Scotland  | |
Wales  | |
Fiji  | |
Samoa  | |
Tonga  | |
| Various selections |
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