Background and history
Since the earliest years of international rugby union, it was customary for the three former British dominions of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa to undertake reciprocal touring arrangements. Between 1903 and 1995, Australia and New Zealand alone conducted more than forty tours of one another, while South Africa hosted Australia and New Zealand on five and six occasions respectively between 1928 and New Zealand's controversial 1976 tour.
During the mid to late twentieth century, this system of extended, bilateral tours was periodically expanded to include the rugby nations of Europe (Great Britain: England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and France). Throughout his period, international rugby was defined by these lengthy tours and persisted until the introduction of the quadrennial Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 1987. However, the sporting boycotts imposed on South Africa in response to apartheid resulted in the Springboks playing very few international fixtures throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Following their readmission to international rugby in the early 1990s, the country hosted and participated in its first Rugby World Cup in 1995 (the third tournament in the competition's history). That same year marked the formal professionalisation of rugby union. In 1996, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa established a joint union, SANZAR, and established the annual Tri Nations Series (now known as The Rugby Championship), effectively ending the traditional touring practice.
The Daily Maverick reported in February 2024 that "advanced talks" were taking place between the South African Rugby Union (SARU) and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) about a possible return of traditional tours between New Zealand and South Africa. [12] SABC Sport later reported in May 2024 that traditional tours between New Zealand and South Africa were set to resume in 2026 on a four-year reciprocal cycle, with the SARU and NZR believed to have reached an in-principle agreement. [13] It was also reported that the two unions had been in discussions since 2023 regarding the revival of the historic tours, which was confirmed by the SARU president Mark Alexander and NZR chief executive Mark Robinson. [13] According to the report, New Zealand were scheduled to tour South Africa in 2026 for a three-Test series, alongside five mid-week matches against the four South African United Rugby Championship (URC) provincial teams (Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Stormers), alongside a fixture against South Africa A. [13] In September 2024, the Daily Maverick reported that "formal agreements" between the SARU and NZR had been made, [14] [15] confirming the return of the of traditional tour. [14] It was revealed to be a New Zealand eight-match tour of South Africa, including four Test matches, with one set to be played at a neutral venue. [14] The tour itself was officially confirmed in October 2025, [2] [16] and revealed the specific details of fixtures to be played as well as venues. [16]
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