Ticket sales for the inaugural Nations Championship Tests in South Africa – where the Springboks will face England, Scotland, and Wales – will go on sale on 2 April, SA Rugby announced on Thursday, exactly 100 days before the Boks start their campaign against England in Johannesburg (4 July).
Following the Test against England, the Boks will line up against Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July).
Tickets, priced from only R450 (England Test), R375 (Scotland Test) and R250 (Wales Test), will be on sale from 10h00 on Thursday, 2 April, only through Ticketmaster at https://springboks.tmtickets.co.za/.
London’s iconic Nelson’s Column was illuminated to celebrate ‘100 Days To Go’ until the first Nations Championship fixture, and act as a beacon to the 12 competing teams who will descend on the capital for the first ever Finals Weekend in November. The team colours and crests of all 12 competing nations adorned the historic monument to mark the milestone moment.
Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “The excitement is really picking up for the Springboks’ international season with the announcement of the alignment camps and the 100-day countdown.
“We’re excited to welcome England back to South Africa for the first time since 2018, Scotland haven’t been here for 12 years and we last hosted Wales in 2022, so our supporters are in for a treat in July.
“We’ve taken notice of what people have been saying about ticket prices and we’ve changed the model to try and accommodate as many spectators as possible in the stadiums, while still fulfilling our need to fund our national teams and grow the game at all levels.”
With the competition kicking off in a little more than three months, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the team were looking forward to the cross-hemisphere tournament – which will continue with the second leg in Europe in November – especially given the performances of the teams in the recent Six Nations series.
“This is an exciting new competition, and after witnessing the competitiveness of the Six Nations in general and some very tight contests, we have no doubt it’s going to be a thrilling new challenge for the Boks,” said Erasmus.
“England showed real grit in the Six Nations, although some of the results didn’t go their way, and they really showed what they are capable of against the eventual champions, pushing France all the way in Paris.
“Scotland also proved that they could be a real force by finishing third on the standings with three victories, and to be the only team to beat France, while also defeating England and Wales, they too will back themselves to put up a good showing in South Africa.
“Wales showed great development in their style of play, and the fact that they finished well with a great victory against a very tough Italian team will boost their confidence when they travel to South Africa.”
Erasmus added: “All three teams will also draw inspiration from the fact that they come off a highly competitive Six Nations competition, while we will only be beginning our season by the time we face them, so we will have to hit the ground running to be as competitive as possible against them.”
The Springboks will host their second in-person and virtual alignment camps in May, which will be followed by their first official training camp of the year in June.
Tickets, priced from only R250 per person, are already available for the Boks’ season opener against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on Saturday, 20 June.
Springbok Nations Championship fixtures 2026:
- Saturday 4 July: Springboks v England (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
- Saturday 11 July: Springboks v Scotland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
- Saturday 18 July: Springboks v Wales (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Feral Cookie
Australia has a strong domestic rugby competition called the National Rugby Championship (NRC), which features clubs from across the country. In addition, Australian franchises participate in the Super Rugby competition, competing against teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Japan.
Miss Fix It
Sport Trivia: Who captained the South African 1992 Olympic squad? Answer: Oscar Chalupsky. Elana Meyer won silver in the 10000m in Barcelona. Malcolm Todd represented South Africa in archery, and Penny Heyns was the youngest member of the squad at just 17. Oscar Chalupsky is a rower/paddler and has been in the limelight in this arena since his first competition in 1979. He placed second in the Molokai World Surf Ski Championship in 2006, at the age of 43.