It will be the final tune-up for both teams before the tournament starts a few days later in Australia.
Grant Williams and Kurt-Lee Arendse of the Springboks can look forward to a meeting with Fiji next year. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
The Springboks will face Fiji in their final warm-up match ahead of next year’s World Cup in Australia, it was announced on Friday.
Rassie Erasmus’ team, who will be gunning for a third straight World Cup win after triumphs in Japan in 2019 and France in 2023, will face Fiji in Gosford, north of Sydney, on Saturday 18 September.
The Boks will kick-off their World Cup campaign just over two weeks later when they take on Italy in Adelaide on Sunday 3 October.
The Springboks are currently in Australia, for a one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth next Sunday, to also get a taste of what’s to come next year at the World Cup.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus said: “We are very excited about the announcement of the clash against Fiji as part of our preparations for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, and for the opportunity to play another Test match in Gosford on the Central Coast after last facing the Pacific Islanders there in 2004.
“Fiji are a quality team who have consistently tested some of the top sides in the world over the last few years, and they proved that they can be a force to be reckoned with by advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, so it’s certainly going to be a great test for our team before the international spectacle in Australia.
“They are one of the top 10 ranked teams in the world, and they are a physical and talented side who will undoubtedly want to take full advantage of the match, similarly to us, before the Rugby World Cup kicks off.”
The match is scheduled to kick off at 10am SA time.
