South Africa, New Zealand discuss eight-match rugby tours

File: Former South African president Thabo Mbeki. AFP/Gianluigi Guercia
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JOHANNESBURG – South Africa and New Zealand are discussing hosting eight-match tours involving the two rugby union giants every four years, a senior Springboks official said.
A proposal is that South Africa would play hosts in 2026 and New Zealand in 2030, and the itinerary would include four Tests and four matches against franchises.
The official, talking on condition of anonymity as he is not an authorised spokesperson, said one of the Tests could be staged at a neutral venue, possibly England or the United States.
“Reports that a deal has been struck are untrue. Talks are ongoing and I believe there will be a successful outcome. We should have clarity by the end of this month,” he said.
“A sticking point is the Rugby Championship in tour years. There is speculation that these tours may last eight weeks, so what happens to fixtures against Argentina and Australia?”
In non-Rugby World Cup years, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa play each other twice. They meet once in the years of the quadrennial global tournament.
From first round to last the Rugby Championship spans eight weeks in August and September — the same period South Africa and New Zealand want to use for the tours.
Should the tours go ahead, South Africa favour a single-round Championship, while New Zealand reportedly would prefer the 2026 and 2030 editions to be cancelled.
Many Springboks are based abroad and are expected to return to their clubs after the eight-week window, raising the possibility that they would have to field only locals in additional Tests.
Tests between South Africa and New Zealand are hugely popular, with an SA Rugby official saying they could sell 240,000 tickets for the match at the 60,000-seat Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Tickets for the Test in Johannesburg last Saturday, which South Africa won 31-27 through two late tries, were sold out in less than 30 minutes.
Reigning champions South Africa have won four and New Zealand three of the 10 World Cup tournaments. Australia were victorious twice and England once.
New Zealand have dominated the Rugby Championship since its 2012 launch, winning nine editions. Australia and South Africa have topped the table only once each.