The Springboks have closed in on top spot in the World Rugby rankings, while New Zealand have slumped to fourth place.
On Friday, the Springboks fired a warning shot that reverberated around the rugby world at a mesmerized Twickenham Stadium as they inflicted the heaviest defeat on the All Blacks in New Zealand’s storied history, running away 35-7 victors (halftime 14-0) in front of 80 827 fans.
As a result, South Africa has now shot up to second in the World Rugby rankings, while New Zealand has dropped to fourth, falling behind France who claimed a good win over Australia on Sunday.
In fact, the Springboks are now just 0.74 points behind first-placed Ireland, who scraped a win over Samoa on Saturday.
South Africa will soon kick off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign against Scotland on Sunday, 10 September, while the tournament itself will begin on Friday, 8 September with a blockbuster battle between France and New Zealand.
Make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action, with all the kick-off times falling at mostly favorable times in South Africa.
Check out the South Africa Springboks fixtures below:
RWC 2023 fixtures:
- Sunday, 10 September – Springboks vs. Scotland (Stade Velodrome, Marseille).
- Sunday, 17 September – Springboks vs. Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux).
- Saturday, 23 September – Springboks vs. Ireland (Stade de France, Paris).
- Sunday, 1 October – Springboks vs. Tonga (Stade Velodrome, Marseille).
- Weekend of 14/15 October – Quarter-finals
- Weekend of 21/22 October – Semi-finals
- Saturday, 28 October – Final
You can also check out all the Rugby World Cup fixtures and kick-off times here, with South Africa and France notably in the same time zone.