Champions South Africa Begin World Cup Countdown Against Lowly Wales

Johannesburg, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Siya Kolisi-captained South Africa begin on Saturday against Wales in Pretoria a 16-match countdown before defending the Rugby World Cup title in France next September.

The Springboks play Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina three times each and Ireland, France, Italy and England once, and there is the possibility of two warm-up matches next year.

Tests on consecutive Saturdays against Wales in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town get the ball rolling, to be followed in August and September by three home and three away Rugby Championship games.

A format change means the Springboks will face their greatest rivals, New Zealand, twice in South Africa, before tackling Australia twice away.

Only the matches against Argentina follow the traditional southern hemisphere championship pattern of home and away fixtures.

In November, a daunting tour sees the world champions confronting Ireland, France and England within four weekends.

A visit to Italy completes the schedule.

The 2023 Rugby Championship will be reduced from six rounds to three because of the World Cup and there have been unconfirmed reports of South Africa playing two other Tests.

South Africa are grouped with Ireland, Scotland, Romania and an Asia/Pacific qualifier in France and the section winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals.

The Springboks play for the first time this year, and for the first time in front of a home crowd since 2019, after a mixed previous season in which they won eight Tests and lost five.

A series win over the British and Irish Lions in Cape Town and a last-gasp victory over New Zealand in the Australian Gold Coast were the highlights.

The low point for World Cup-winning skipper Kolisi and his green and gold teammates was suffering a 13-point drubbing by Australia in Brisbane.