Historic ABs South Africa test to be held in Dunedin

A panoramic view of Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night. Photos: Peter McIntosh
Forsyth Barr Stadium will host the 100th test between the All Blacks and the Springboks. Photos: Peter McIntosh
Dunedin has bagged a massive test - the 100th test between South Africa and the All Blacks will be played at Forsyth Barr Stadium in September.

It will also be 100 years since the Springboks and the All Blacks first played a test, which was also played in Dunedin, at Carisbrook.

The game is set to be played on September 25.

It is a huge coup as it is the first test between the two top nations since 2019 when South Africa won the World Cup.

There will also be three tests at Eden Park, one against South Africa, one against Argentina and one against Australia, while Wellington will host a test against Australia and a test against Argentina.

Forsyth Barr Stadium will also host a test against Fiji in July.

All up, the All Blacks will play a total of 14 or 15 tests this year with away trips to Wales, Italy, Ireland and France to follow the Rugby Championship.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster, who confirmed he will name a replacement captain for Sam Cane for the July tests and Rugby Championship, already has one eye on the Boks.

"I can't wait for that one," Foster said on Friday at Eden Park. "All the memories of big test matches, it's hard to look past South Africa – even the ones I've been involved in, some of those games have been huge.

"There's something about it. There seems to be a mutual respect for the two nations that brings the most out in us. To be part of the chance to remember a bit of history will be pretty cool.

"We're assuming they've done a lot of work in the past 12 months. We know they've been through a tough time. Now they're back playing. They just probably haven't had a lot of time together but that's a pretty common denominator.
"We know what the British and Irish Lions means. They've got a big preparation time before that. They'll come into the Rugby Championship battle hardened, as will the Aussies after their series against the French."

Hosting nine home tests is a major advantage for Foster in his second season as All Blacks head coach as he seeks to improve on last year's 50 per cent win record that included three wins, two losses and one draw in a Covid-condensed campaign.

"I don't know if it's an advantage over everyone, because you look at Australia last year they had four at home and won one," Foster said. "We've still got to perform. It's going to give us a settled preparation but I don't mind the travel.

"Going to Perth will be good for us and the end of year tour will be good for us. Part of being an All Black is you've got to win on the road.

"I quite like the way the Bledisloe has been compartmentalised into a bit of a block. That's exciting, and having a week off between one and two with the travel component is quite good. We've got the chance to devote ourselves to that."

Foster admitted the stretch of four tests against the Pumas and Springboks over four weeks to finish the Rugby Championship will test the All Blacks' depth.

"It's going to be demanding on everyone. It's certainly not ideal, we all know that, but with World Rugby regulations and quarantining it's a fact of life for everyone.

"We learnt last year that the four in a row is too many but no one can complain they're not on the same starting line."

Foster plans to name separate squads of around 35 players for the July tests and Rugby Championship. He confirmed Cane would, in all likelihood, be unavailable until the back end of the year, with a replacement skipper set to be named.

"He could play on the end of year tour," Foster said of Cane. "At the moment they've given us an early to mid-September timeframe which means technically he is available potentially late September, but I'd say that's a long shot.

"We've got a large group there who have had a tase of it. This year we'll be looking at that group to see their advancements. You look at July and it's a natural time for us to play around with a few things but it's not like we're going to pick one squad for July and an entirely new one for August."
Crusaders centre Jack Goodhue's ACL injury rules him out for the year; prop Joe Moody could return from his foot issue in early September and Ardie Savea is expected to return from a knee injury in the next two weeks.

After completing their Japanese sabbaticals, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett will be included for the July tests; but TJ Perenara's situation is a little more complicated in that he technically needs to play one domestic match after signing a new contract before being available.

"They're back and available," Foster said of Retallick and Barrett. "They'll be like everyone when they get out of quarantine, they've got a programme in place, we'll see how they look.

"We've been watching them in their other competitions. It's very hard to compare with the standards there but we'll work through that."

All Blacks schedule:

Third Bledisloe Cup test:

Saturday 7 August
All Blacks vs Australia, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland

The 2021 Rugby Championship match schedule:

Saturday 14 August
South Africa vs Argentina, venue & kick-off time TBC, South Africa

Saturday 21 August
Australia vs All Blacks, kick-off time TBC, Optus Stadium, Perth
Argentina vs South Africa, venue & kick-off time TBC, South Africa

Saturday 28 August
All Blacks vs Australia, 7.05pm, Sky Stadium, Wellington

Saturday 11 September
All Blacks vs Argentina, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland
South Africa vs Australia, venue & kick-off time TBC, Australia

Saturday 18 September
Argentina vs All Blacks, 7.05pm, Sky Stadium, Wellington
Australia vs South Africa, venue & kick-off time TBC, Australia

Saturday 25 September
All Blacks vs South Africa, 7.05pm, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Australia vs Argentina, venue & kick-off time TBC, Australia

Saturday 2 October
South Africa vs All Blacks, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland
Argentina vs Australia, venue & kick-off time TBC, Australia

 - Additional reporting Steve Hepburn

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