Pumas to host Springboks in World Cup warm-up Test

Argentina will host New Zealand for the first time in four years and also play a pre-World Cup warm-up Test against world champions SA in 2023, the country’s rugby union, the UAR  announced.

Argentina will take on the All Blacks in Mendoza on July 8 in a slimmed-down Rugby Championship, which has been reduced to just six matches because of the World Cup in France.

The four southern hemisphere countries, who compete annually in the Rugby Championship usually play each other home and away but in 2023 it will be once only.

Argentina have a single home game against New Zealand, followed by Australia away on July 15 and South Africa on July 29.

The rest of the 2023 Rugby Championship fixtures have not yet been announced by Sanzaar, the competition’s governing body.

The UAR said the Springboks will then travel to Buenos Aires for a Test at the Velez Sarsfield Stadium on August 5, which is not part of the Rugby Championship but a warm-up for the 2023 World Cup in France running from September 8 to October 28.

“We hope to have a great year, always trying to improve all aspects of our rugby so more and more people can enjoy the sport, either as athletes or spectators, and we can continue to grow the passion for rugby,” UAR president Gabriel Travaglini said.

At the World Cup, Argentina are in Pool D and take on England in Marseille in their opening game on September 9, followed by matches against Samoa, Chile and Japan.

The Springboks are in Pool B with Ireland, Scotland, Tonga and Romania. SA kick off against the Scots in Marseille on September 10.