Pretoria To Host Springboks' First Test Since Winning World Cup

South Africa will play Georgia in Pretoria on July 2 in their first Test since winning the Rugby World Cup final against England in Japan 19 months ago

Johannesburg, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2021 ) :South Africa will play Georgia in Pretoria on July 2 in their first Test since winning the Rugby World Cup final against England in Japan 19 months ago.

The second and final international is set for Johannesburg on July 9 as the Springboks warm up for a three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions from July 24.

The Georgia match venues were announced on Friday in an SA Rugby statement.

Cape Town will host the first Test against the Lions with the other two in Johannesburg on July 31 and August 7.

The matches against Georgia will be the first as head coach for Jacques Nienaber, who succeeded Rassie Erasmus in January 2020.

Erasmus coached the Springboks at the 2019 World Cup, with defence expert Nienaber among his assistants, and then returned to his former role of national director of rugby.

South Africa were scheduled to play 12 matches last year -- six at home and six away -- but they were all cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

No spectators can attend the Georgia internationals with South Africa battling a third wave of Covid-19 and Pretoria and Johannesburg situated in the hardest hit province.

Three-time world champions South Africa and second-tier European rugby nation Georgia have met only once before with the Springboks winning a 2003 World Cup pool game 46-19 in Australia.