Boks face taxing travel schedule in defence of RWC 2027, title fixtures reveal

Winning a third consecutive Rugby World Cup was never going to be easy, but the publication of the fixtures on Tuesday revealed a potentially taxing travel schedule for the Springboks.

The two-time defending champions, in search of an unprecedented third straight World Cup triumph, start their campaign against Italy in Adelaide on 3 October 2027, which is a Sunday.

They then decamp and move to Brisbane for game number two against Georgia seven days later, before flying west across Australia to take on Romania in Perth on 17 October.

All three of the Boks’ Pool B games are on Sundays, but their round-of-16 match (assuming they top the group, which they should) is on a Saturday, meaning a six-day turnaround.

Fortunately, the first knockout match, for both the winner and runners-up in Pool B, is in Perth, so they won’t have to change locations for the better part of two weeks.

If they advance through the round of 16 as Pool B winners the Boks face a probable quarterfinal against the All Blacks, in Sydney, meaning another long-haul across the country for that encounter.

“It’s pleasing that we now know where and when we are playing, and we are fortunate that we have played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney in the last few years in the Rugby Championship,” Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said.

“We can now go full steam ahead with our planning and preparation for the tournament, and we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we are as fresh and well prepared as possible for the competition.

“Our operations and logistics team will start getting into the finer details of the travel in the coming weeks, with our pool matches being hosted in different cities.

“The coaches and high-performance staff will start having in-depth discussions about how to manage the players during the tournament to get the best out of them on the field.

“The one thing that pops out looking at the schedule is that, should we progress to the playoffs, there will be travel between the round of 16 and quarterfinal, which is something we have to factor into our planning, as the flight is just under five hours between Perth and Sydney, and there is a two-hour time difference.

“Over and above that, our likely opponents could be either Australia or New Zealand, and it would be good to see their travel schedules. But obviously, we have to make it through first, which will require a massive effort.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead in the next 18 months, but we are all very excited for the tournament and we are looking forward to putting the building blocks in place this season and next year before we depart for Australia.”

Opening match

Unlike RWC 2023, which featured hosts France against the All Blacks in a blockbuster opening match at the Stade de France, the 2027 showpiece sees hosts Australia taking on Hong Kong in Pool A. In Perth.

Considering the All Blacks are also in the pool, it would have been a perfect opportunity to start the tournament with a salivating contest instead of what will be a one-sided romp.

Also, starting the tournament on a Friday night in faraway Perth instead of Sydney does seem a strange decision, which will battle to give the tournament traction.

The Boks against Italy is the only match on the opening weekend between two tier-one nations. In 2023, besides the opening blockbuster there were also clashes between England and Argentina and South Africa and Scotland on the opening weekend.

Rugby Union is a sport battling for relevance in Australia – starting the global showpiece on such a low keynote really does feel like an own goal by World Rugby.

Considering the tournament has been expanded from 20 to 24 teams, there are fewer heavyweight pool clashes as well.

The Boks and Italy should cruise through Pool B, ditto Australia and New Zealand in Pool A. All of the pools already look like foregone conclusions, with only a handful of games likely to decide the winners and runners-up.

Played across 19 matchdays, the schedule deliberately clusters matches on weekends to maximise attendance and bring local communities together.

Two matches staged in the same city over the same weekend will take place across all seven host cities including Newcastle and Townsville.

The pool phase will conclude in a “Super Sunday” on 17 October, featuring five matches played in a single day, a first in the tournament’s history.

Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney will remain at the heart of the action as they host the first-ever round of 16, giving pool winners and runners-up certainty over their knockout locations.

The four best third-placed teams will also progress, with opponents determined by their pool of origin.

“We’ve assembled the most compelling match schedule to date, carefully designed to balance player welfare, fan experience and global reach,” World Rugby chairperson Brett Robinson said. DM

Springbok RWC 2027 fixtures:

Pool stages:
Sunday, 3 October – 5.45am SA time: SA v Italy (Adelaide Oval)
Sunday, 10 October – 8.45am SA time: SA v Georgia (Brisbane Stadium)
Sunday, 17 October – 1.15pm SA time: SA v Romania (Perth Stadium)

Round of 16:
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October (Perth Stadium/Docklands Stadium, Melbourne)

Quarter-finals:
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October (Stadium Australia, Sydney/Brisbane Stadium)