Argentina and Springboks set for Twickenham return

SANZAAR and Unión Argentina de Rugby have today confirmed that this year’s Rugby Championship clash between Argentina and South Africa will be played at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London.

Felipe Contepomi’s Los Pumas will lock horns with the Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks on Saturday, 4 October (kick-off 2pm) in the final round of this year’s Rugby Championship, where everything could be on the line to decide who will be crowned champions.

It could also be a special occasion for Springboks captain Siyi Kolisi who is eight caps away from becoming a Test centurion. Kolisi has 92 caps at present and the Twickenham showdown would be South Africa’s ninth Test of the year. Presuming the back-rower misses one of the warm-up games immediately before The Rugby Championship starts in August and is ever-present thereafter, the back-rower could be running out for his 100th cap. South Africa have two confirmed Tests against Italy and one against Georgia in July ahead of their Rugby Championship title defence.

The match between Los Pumas and the Springboks will be only the second Rugby Championship match to be played outside the four core territories of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Argentina followed up their run to the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 2023 with victories over South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in last year’s Rugby Championship, and head coach Felipe Contepomi is delighted to be facing the world champions again.

“Facing the world champions is always a great challenge and a tough test that we have year after year thanks to The Rugby Championship,” he said.

“Playing against the best teams raises our level and is a great opportunity to keep growing.”

For South Africa, the showdown against Argentina marks a return to a familiar venue, having played three test matches over the last 18 months at Allianz Stadium, London.

Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks beat Wales 41-13 in their first Test of 2024 in London, before returning to the newly-titled Allianz Stadium in the Autumn Nations Series and winning 29-20.

Previously, they warmed up for the defence of their Rugby World Cup title with a thumping 35-7 win over the All Blacks on the eve of the 2023 tournament.

And with a thriving community of South African rugby supporters in London, Erasmus is excited for his side to return to the home of English rugby once more in 2025.

“It’s always exciting to play at Allianz Stadium and we look forward to facing Argentina for the first time in the UK,” said the Springboks head coach.

“We’ve played two neutral-venue Test matches at the iconic stadium since 2023 against New Zealand and Wales, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially with the passionate crowd filling the stadium and the large contingent of Springbok supporters based in the UK.

“We have no doubt this match will be another exciting spectacle given the intense battles between the Springboks and Los Pumas over the last few years, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Los Pumas also hosted the only previous Rugby Championship match played outside the competition’s four core territories of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina – losing 33-21 in a thrilling contest against the Wallabies in 2016.

This year’s clash between Argentina and South Africa will be played in the final round of The Rugby Championship 2025, and SANZAAR Chief Executive Brendan Morris notes the fixture could well determine the ultimate destination of the trophy.

He said: “The Rugby Championship is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious international rugby tournaments, and it is exciting that we can take this big southern hemisphere clash between Argentina and South Africa to Allianz Stadium in London.

“South Africa are the current world champions and incumbent Rugby Championship champions, while Argentina is now fifth in the world rankings. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase The Rugby Championship in the UK, and we look forward to a sell-out crowd and global broadcast audience.

“This is the second time Argentina has played a Rugby Championship match in London, following the 2016 match against Australia. As in 2024, the fixture will be a final-round match and may well play an important part in determining the eventual champion in 2025.”

Tickets will become available for general sale from 10am on Thursday, 13 February, through Ticketmaster.co.uk and England Rugby, starting at only £55* for adults and £28* for under-16s for this unmissable match.