Next year's tough calendar is shaping up to be a real test of the Boks' mettle

The 2026 season is loaded with new ventures - and the women's game goes fully pro. By Craig Ray

- By Craig Ray

The third year in a Rugby World Cup cycle is usually the most complex because the next global showpiece is fast approaching and it represents the last chance for Test coaches to experiment.

It's always a balancing act between finding the missing pieces of the squad jigsaw and game plan while maintaining positive momentum.

But Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks are no “usual” coach and Test outfit. And the 2026 season is not “usual” in any way, shape or form. Erasmus will be pushed to his innovative best as he plots and calculates a season that looks tougher than any other third-year-in-a-cycle in memory.

Although RWC 2027 in Australia and winning an unprecedented third consecutive title remains the major goal for this Springbok group, the reality is that they cannot look much beyond 2026.

That's because of two significant factors: the inaugural Nations Championship and a resumption of full tours against the All Blacks are both happening in 2026.

As the reigning world champions and the undisputed No 1 team in the world, the Boks must show up every week expecting to win whatever silverware is on offer.

This is both the joy and burden of earning the moniker of “best team in the world”. Every other nation wants your scalp and bragging rights.

Greatest Rivalry

Since 1996, there hasn't been a “proper” Test series between the Boks and All Blacks in the amateur sense of the term.

They have met three times in a season on several occasions since the game went professional 30 years ago but those matches have always formed part of the Rugby Championship or World Cup.

It was Sean Fitzpatrick's 1996 All Blacks that last embarked on a three-Test tour, sprinkled with midweek clashes against provincial teams.

Three decades on, fully-fledged tours are back on the menu as the All Blacks return for a seven-game sojourn, including three Tests on South African soil.