The Springboks will meet Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on August 19 2023, in a preparation match weeks before the beginning of their Rugby World Cup defence.
The Boks kick off their 2023 World Cup against Scotland in Marseille on Sunday September 10.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber’s men meet Romania on September 17 2023 in Bordeaux, Ireland on September 13 in Paris and Tonga on October 1 in Marseille in their other World Cup Pool B encounters in France.
“With Wales ranked seventh in the world, they will offer Nienaber’s charges a good test to measure themselves against going into the global spectacle,” SA Rugby said.
“The Springboks beat Wales 2-1 in the incoming series on local soil earlier this year, but apart from a 23-18 victory in their 2021 match in Cardiff and a tight 19-16 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal win in Yokohama in 2019, SA suffered four straight defeats against the Welsh between 2016 and 2018.”
Nienaber said the match in Cardiff would provide ideal preparation for the Springboks.
“Wales have always proven to be tough competition for us and our results against them in the last few years are evidence of the quality side they are,” he said.
“The Rugby World Cup is one of the toughest competitions in the world, and you have to be at your best every week to reach the final, so it’s vital that we test ourselves against quality opposition in the lead-up to the competition.”
The Springboks are on a short break, with some players already playing for their franchises in the United Rugby Championship, before SA assemble for the year-end tour at the end of October.
In Europe the Boks face Ireland on November 5, France on November 12, Italy on November 19 and England on November 26, while there are also two mid-week fixtures, against Munster (November 10) and the Bristol Bears (November 17).
