Bench your thirst, squad — the fixtures are out.
A new Bok season is a new excuse to get the team together, and 2026 is a big one. From the first whistle in Gqeberha to a year-end tour that lands right on our doorstep here in the UK, here’s everything you need to clear in the diary, screenshot to the group chat, and get the rounds sorted for.
Grab a cold one. Let’s run through it.
First half: the home tests (June–July)
The Boks open the year on home soil, and it’s a proper run of fixtures.
Sat 20 June — South Africa vs Barbarians, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Sat 4 July — South Africa vs England, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Sat 11 July — South Africa vs Scotland, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Sat 18 July — South Africa vs Wales, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Three home unions, three different cathedrals of South African rugby. If you’ve got family back home, this is the stretch where the WhatsApp voice notes start flying. For the saffas over here, it’s early kick-offs, a full English, and a fridge stocked the night before.
Second half: the Rugby Championship (August–September)
This is where it gets serious — and where the bench earns its name.
Sat 8 August — Argentina vs South Africa, Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
Sat 22 August — South Africa vs New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Sat 29 August — South Africa vs New Zealand, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Sat 5 September — South Africa vs New Zealand, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat 12 September — New Zealand vs South Africa, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Sun 27 September — Australia vs South Africa, Optus Stadium, Perth
Yes, you read that right — four meetings with the All Blacks, including one in Baltimore, plus a trip to Perth to close it out. Block out the weekends now. These are the late nights and the early mornings that make the whole season.
The away days that matter to us (November)
Here’s the one for everyone reading this from a flat in London, a pub in Manchester, or a braai in the Home Counties. The year-end tour brings the Boks to Europe — within reach of a weekend trip.
Sat 7 November — Italy vs South Africa, Allianz Stadium, Turin
Fri 13 November — France vs South Africa, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Sat 21 November — Ireland vs South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Dublin on the 21st is the one to start planning for now — a short hop for the UK squad and always one of the great away-day atmospheres. Sort the crew, sort the travel, and sort the celebration for after.
Get the squad together
A fixture list is just a list until you fill the room. Every one of these is a reason to gather the team, fire up the braai, and crack open something smooth and golden. That’s what we built Bomb Squad for — the second half, the post-match, and every shared moment in between.
Founded by two-time World Cup winners Steven Kitshoff and Malcolm Marx, brewed with fresh mountain water at Saggy Stone in Robertson — and now poured wherever saffas and rugby fans gather across Britain.
So save the dates. Stock the fridge. Bring the gees.
Follow @bombsquadbeeruk for match-day drops, and grab your packs at bombsquadbeer.co.uk.
Bench your thirst.
Please drink responsibly. 18+.
