Springboks to begin latest Rugby World Cup title defence against Italy

The Springboks will begin their latest Rugby World Cup title defence on Sunday, 4 October, against Italy.

World Rugby announced the fixtures for 2027’s World Cup on Tuesday morning.

The expanded tournament will be played across eight venues in Australia feature 24 nations for the first time as well as a round of 16 before the quarterfinals.

The Wallabies will kick the tournament off on Saturday, 3 October, with a game against Hong Kong.

Coach Rassie Erasmus and his team will begin their quest for an unprecedented third successive World Cup title against the Azzurri in Adelaide on the first weekend of the competition, followed by their remaining pool games against Georgia in Brisbane a week later and then against Romania on 17 October.

“The one thing that pops out looking at the schedule is that, should we progress to the playoffs, there will be travel between the round of 16 and quarter-final, which is something we have to factor into our planning, as the flight is just under five hours between Perth and Sydney, and there is a two-hour time difference. Over and above that, our likely opponents could be either Australia or New Zealand, and it would be good to see their travel schedules. But obviously, we have to make it through first, which will require a massive effort,” said Erasmus.

The winner and runner-up in each of the six pools and the four best-placed third teams will then advance to the round of 16. Should the Boks finish first or second in Pool B, their first playoff match will be hosted in Perth, while the quarter-final will play out in Sydney.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead in the next 18 months, but we are all very excited for the tournament and we are looking forward to putting the building blocks in place this season and next year before we depart for Australia,” said Erasmus

SPRINGBOK RWC 2027 FIXTURES

Pool stages:
Sunday, 3 October – 14h15 (05:45 SA time): SA v Italy (Adelaide Oval)
Sunday, 10 October – 16h45 (08:45 SA time): SA v Georgia (Brisbane Stadium)
Sunday, 17 October – 19h15 (13:15 SA time): SA v Romania (Perth Stadium)

Round of 16:
Saturday, 23 October and Sunday, 24 October (Perth Stadium/Docklands Stadium, Melbourne)

Quarter-finals:
Saturday, 30 October and Sunday, 31 October (Stadium Australia, Sydney/Brisbane Stadium)

Semi-finals:
Friday, 5 November and Saturday, 6 November: Stadium Australia, Sydney

Final:
Saturday, 13 November – 20h00 (11:00 SA time): Stadium Australia, Sydney