By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
World Rugby has announced the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2027 schedule, which will be played across eight venues in Australia, early on Tuesday in Sydney.
The two-time defending champions, in search of an unprecedented third straight World Cup triumph, Springboks start their campaign against Italy in Adelaide on 3 October 2027, which is a Sunday.
They then decamp and move to Brisbane for game number two against Georgia seven days later, before flying west across Australia to take on Romania in Perth on 17 October.
All three of the Springboks Pool B games are on Sundays, but their round-of-16 match (assuming they top the group, which they should) is on a Saturday, meaning a six-day turnaround.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the announcement of the match schedule was the first step in ensuring that their planning was pinpoint for the international extravaganza.
“It’s pleasing that we now know where and when we are playing, and we are fortunate that we have played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney in the last few years in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship,” said Erasmus.
“We can now go full steam ahead with our planning and preparation for the tournament, and we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we are as fresh and well prepared as possible for the competition.”
“The one thing that pops out looking at the schedule is that, should we progress to the playoffs, there will be travel between the round of 16 and quarter-final, which is something we have to factor into our planning, as the flight is just under five hours between Perth and Sydney, and there is a two-hour time difference.”
“Over and above that, our likely opponents could be either Australia or New Zealand, and it would be good to see their travel schedules. But obviously, we have to make it through first, which will require a massive effort.”
“There’s a lot of hard work ahead in the next 18 months, but we are all very excited for the tournament, and we are looking forward to putting the building blocks in place this season and next year before we depart for Australia.”
The Springboks are hoping to secure a warm-up match in June before launching their 2026 season in July with clashes against England in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July) as part of the new Nations Championship.
Springbok RWC 2027 fixtures:
Pool stages:
Sunday, 3 October – 5.45am SA time: SA v Italy (Adelaide Oval)
Sunday, 10 October – 8.45am SA time: SA v Georgia (Brisbane Stadium)
Sunday, 17 October – 1.15pm SA time: SA v Romania (Perth Stadium)
Round of 16:
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October (Perth Stadium/Docklands Stadium, Melbourne)
Quarter-finals:
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October (Stadium Australia, Sydney/Brisbane Stadium).