Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that 2025 is an important year for the Springboks and that he has to strike the right balance, making sure the squad continues to develop while also producing on the field.
With the 2027 World Cup draw taking place in December the Springboks must maintain their high ranking to make sure they are one of the top seeds.
"We would like to do something similar to last year, where the senior players and some of the younger players contribute on the field. We have players in the squad who could still play until 2026, but that does not negate the fact that they can still deliver on the field for us."
"We have an eye on the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but our mindset this year will be fixed on trying to win all our matches, while at the same time broadening our squad depth and experience."
"Getting the balance between building and continuing to win is the most important thing because the World Cup draw is at the end of the year."
"Our planning has to be right for every Test. If you lose a little momentum, you could take one step back before you can take two steps forward again."
“We will try to build, but if we don’t have momentum, we won’t be able to build in the next Test.”
“We have our plans pretty much right. However, you never know if a team will come along that will put a stop to them. In that case, you have to plan again from scratch.”
“Our goal is to ensure that by the next World Cup, most of the players have more than 15 Test caps.”
The Springboks will kick off their season with the Qatar Airways Cup clash against the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday 28 June, in what will mark the first encounter ever between the sides on South African soil, before the Castle Lager Incoming Series which will see them face Italy in back-to-back Tests in Pretoria and Gqeberha on 5 and 12 July, and Georgia in Nelspruit on 19 July respectively.
Thereafter the Springboks will begin their Castle Lager Rugby Championship title defence against Australia at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg and the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, 16 and 23 August, before travelling to New Zealand for successive Tests against the All Blacks in Auckland (6 September) and Wellington (13 September).
They will then return to South Africa for their final home Test of the year against Argentina at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 27 September, before the away match against the Pumas a week later at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London.
South Africa will then head north in November. They will kick off their tour against France on 08 November, the first meeting between the two nations since the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in 2023, whereafter tests will follow against Italy (15 Nov), Ireland (22 November) and Wales (29 November).