Wallabies take Boks clash to iconic cricket venue in Adelaide

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is pleased about starting their Rugby Championship campaign in unfamiliar territory later this year.

Rugby Australia confirmed their decision to take the first of the two fixtures against SA — scheduled for August 27 — to Adelaide, where the Boks will play for the first time.

The match will be staged at Adelaide Oval, an iconic cricket venue in South Australia.

The second encounter is scheduled for the next week in New South Wales (NSW) on September 3 at a venue yet to be announced.

Nienaber’s charges will also be returning to NSW for the first time in more than a decade after becoming accustomed to playing mainly in Brisbane and Perth in the past few years.

“We are very excited about playing in Adelaide for the first time and hopefully we can make the most of this occasion in a season that will be vital as we build towards the Rugby World Cup in France next year,” said Nienaber.

“The players enjoyed the experience of playing four Tests in Queensland last year, and Adelaide will present another exciting new challenge for the team, while the last time we played the Wallabies in New South Wales was in 2011 in Sydney.

“It also offers us the opportunity to start on a new slate at a fresh venue in a country that we have come to know very well over the years.”

SA Rugby also confirmed that all six of the Boks’ home Tests, two against the All Blacks, this year will kick off at 5.05pm (SA time).

SA will play Wales three times in the Incoming Series in July, and the three Rugby Championship Tests in SA — against New Zealand at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on August 6 and at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on August 13 and Argentina at Kings Park in Durban on September 24.

The three fixtures against Wales will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 2, Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on July 9 and Cape Town Stadium on July 16.

“Match days are very structured for us. Every minute counts in ensuring that the players perform to their optimal ability when the starting whistle sounds, so the kickoff times allow us to fine-tune our planning even more as the countdown begins to the international season,” said Nienaber.

While kickoff times for both fixtures against Australia must still be confirmed, the Boks’ away match against Argentina at Estadio Velez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on September 17 is scheduled to start at 9.10pm (SA time).