Cape Town cleared to host Springboks-All Blacks clash
The All Blacks are set to play an official match in Cape Town for the first time since 2008 after being granted a security certificate.Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor
For the first time in almost a decade, the All Blacks will play a Championship match in Cape Town. Western Province Rugby confirmed today that the required safety certification to play the match at the Newlands Stadium had been issued.
October date confirmed
On Friday, one day after the City of Cape Town granted the safety and security certificate, SA Rugby released a statement confirming Newlands as the venue for the Rugby Championship Test between South Africa and New Zealand.
Newlands had to fulfill the safety requirements of the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act which came into effect in March this year in order to book this match. The Test is scheduled for 7 October and it will be New Zealand’s first visit to the Mother City in nine years.
Springboks dismal record against the All Blacks
The Springboks have lost nine of their last ten games against the All Blacks, managing their most recent victory almost three years ago. The All Blacks also famously dumped the Boks out of the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand’s last match in Cape Town was back in 2008, when the the Springboks were ceremoniously thrashed 19-0. Still, South Africa holds hopes to defeat the old enemy at their iconic rugby stadium, the oldest one in the country and the second-oldest in the world.
This will be the tenth time these two teams face each other in a Test match in the Western Cape in over 89 years.
Boks’ summer schedule confirmed
SA Rugby also confirmed Springboks’ Championship fixtures. Their first match will be against Argentina on Saturday, August 19th at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
On Saturday 16 August the Boks will take on Los Pumas in Salta, Argentina. In early September, the Springboks will be touring Australia and have two matches lined up - one against the Wallabies on Saturday 9 September at the NIB Stadium in Perth, and the other against the All Blacks on Saturday 16 September at the QBE Stadium in Albany.
Their last two engagements will be at home – on 30 September against Australia at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein before bringing their summer dates to a close against the All Blacks at Newlands, the last match on the schedule.
Remaining home tests for #Springboks: 19 August v Arg, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium 30 Sept v Aus, Toyota Stadium; 7 Oct vs NZ, DHL Newlands pic.twitter.com/PQdZwe5h7B — South African Rugby (@Springboks) 23 June 2017