South Africa have won the men’s Rugby World Cup twice in a row and are eyeing a title they haven’t won since 2019. The Rugby Championship (TRC) kicks off this weekend and the Springboks look set to grab the prestigious trophy.

South Africa drew 16-16 with New Zealand in Wellington, the only hiccup in their flawless run to victory in the southern hemisphere competition five years ago. They beat Australia 35-17 in Johannesburg on August 10 and Argentina 46-13 in Salta.

New Zealand have dominated the TRC for the past four years, taking the title each time, but South African rugby fans truly believe a new champion will soon be crowned. The Springboks will take their first steps towards what they hope will be more trophies on Saturday afternoon.

The Springboks will aim to beat the Wallabies for the first time since 2013 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in their TRC opener on Saturday afternoon. South Africa will face the Australians for the second time at Optus Stadium in Perth next weekend.

With two Test matches on home soil against arch-rivals the All Blacks at Ellis Park and Cape Town, followed by a home and away match against Argentina, it seems the perfect time for the world champions to prove once again why they are ranked No. 1 in the world.

“There’s been a few discussions around it,” winger Cheslin Kolbe said Rugby Pass When asked about the Springboks’ search for their first TRC title since 2019.

“Obviously, there are goals and things that we want to achieve as a team. For us, it’s not important to think too far ahead because then you forget about the first hurdle in front of you.

“For us, of course the first game against Australia in Brisbane – we will try to do our best but it would be absolutely fantastic to win another Rugby Championship with a special group… Always make South Africa proud.

“That’s why we’re here, that’s why we’re doing this. We’re all privileged to be here and represent our country. We’ll take it step by step and match by match.”

Head to head

Last 5 Meetings

Average Scores

Rassie Erasmus has named his Springboks side for the TRC opener, and it certainly means business. Inspirational captain Siya Kolisi will lead the team into the campaign, with players such as Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jesse Kriel and Cheslin Kolbe also named as starters.

Malcolm Marx, Kwagga Smith and Handre Pollard will all look to make an impact off the bench. The eight players coming off the bench have 269 Test appearances between them, meaning they each average more than 30.

This tough South African team are aiming to rain down on Australia’s parade after the hosts’ three-game winning streak this year. Under new coach Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies beat Wales twice before suffering a scare against Georgia in Sydney.

Western Force winger Carlo Tizzano will make his debut as an openside flanker after Fraser McReight was ruled out through injury, and will captain a team with exciting talent on the pitch, including a midfield of Allan Alaalatoa, Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau.

With a crowd of around 50,000 expected to fill the stands at Suncorp Stadium, the Wallabies will be looking to repay their fans’ faith in them but the Springboks are confident they can “dominate” physically.

“They are playing well and winning, which is a huge thing, especially with a new coach. They will gain some belief… They will be fired up and desperate for another win, especially in a new competition where winning is important,” half-back Cobus Reinach explained in a one-on-one interview.

“It’s important to win your first match because all the teams in the tournament want to win the Rugby Championship and you have to get off to a good start.

“No team came here just to say ‘Let’s try to beat this team once or that team’, every team wants to win.

“It will be great to start with a win but I think we need to start with a performance that we can be proud of – we are proud of what we are physically, we are physical. We try to dominate teams and impose our plan on them.

“If we can do that, I think we will come away with a good result.”