Rassie Erasmus has admitted he does not know how the southern hemisphere schedule will look next year, when the All Blacks’ tour to South Africa will marginalise the Rugby Championship.
This year’s Rugby Championship has been one of the most exciting and volatile since Argentina joined in 2012. The Springboks are top of the table and will face the Pumas at Twickenham on Saturday in the final round.
However, from 2026 the tournament is set to be watered down. The expected launch of the “Greatest Rugby Rivalry” between the All Blacks and Springboks, the first traditional tour between the countries for 30 years, will lead to a truncated series of southern hemisphere fixtures. New Zealand would travel to South Africa for midweek fixtures and potentially four Tests, one of which could be in London, before a reciprocal visit four years later. There is expected to be no official Rugby Championship in 2026 — when the new Nations Cup begins — 2028 or 2030, but there could be smaller series of matches such as the Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand.
Erasmus says he is in the dark over how the Championship fits in around the new international competitions
PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP
