Mandela Challenge Plate

For the association football competition, see Nelson Mandela Challenge.

Mandela Challenge Plate

Sport	Rugby union
Instituted	2000
Number of teams	2
Country	Australia   South Africa
Holders	South Africa (2025)
Most titles	Australia (13 titles)

The Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate is a rugby union trophy contested between Australia and South Africa. It is named after South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela.

History

Initially designed to be held every two years, the trophy was first contested as a one-off match in 2000, with Australia winning the game 44-23 at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium. The second, played in Ellis Park, Johannesburg in 2002, was also South Africa's home game in the Tri Nations, and was won 33–31 by South Africa. The 2004 event, delayed until 2005, was played over two legs, and was not part of the Tri Nations. Since South Africa were the holders, Australia needed to win both games to reclaim the trophy. Australia won the first game 30–12, but lost the return leg at Ellis Park, 33–20.

Between 2006 and 2011, with the expansion of the Tri Nations series so that each country plays each other three times, the plate was contested over three Tests, akin to the Bledisloe Cup, with the exception of 2007 and 2011, when teams only played 4 games each, to accommodate for the Rugby World Cups in those years. In 2012, the Tri Nations was expanded to include Argentina and the competition was renamed The Rugby Championship. The teams now play each other twice, and the challengers are required to beat the holders in both games to win the plate. ^[1]

The trophy is a leather-clad silver plate containing a 24 carat (100%) rim, and a central gold disk showing a Wallaby and a Springbok (the icons of the two teams). ^[2] It was designed by Flynn Silver, an Australian family company from Kyneton, Victoria.

Matches

Details	P	Australia	South Africa	D	Australia points	South Africa points
Australia	23	17	5	1	564	455
South Africa	20	4	15	1	350	564
Overall	43	21	20	2	912	1019

Source: ^[3]

Results

Year	Date	Venue	Home	Score	Away	Trophy Winner
2025	16 August 2025	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town	South Africa	30-22	Australia
	16 August 2025	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg	South Africa	22-38	Australia
2024	17 August 2024	Perth Stadium, Perth	Australia	12–30	South Africa
	10 August 2024	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	7–33	South Africa
2023	8 July	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa	43–12	Australia
2022	3 September 2022	Allianz Stadium, Sydney	Australia	8–24	South Africa
	27 August 2022	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide	Australia	25–17	South Africa
2021	18 September	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane	Australia	30–17	South Africa
	12 September	Robina Stadium, Robina, Queensland	Australia	28–26	South Africa
2019	20 July	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa	35–17	Australia
2018	29 September	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth	South Africa	23–12	Australia
	8 September	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	23–18	South Africa
2017	30 September	Free State Stadium, Blomfontein	South Africa	27–27	Australia
	9 September	Perth Oval, Perth	Australia	23–23	South Africa
2016	1 October	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa	18–10	Australia
	10 September	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	23–17	South Africa
2015	18 July	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	24–20	South Africa
2014	27 September	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa	28–10	Australia
	6 September	Subiaco Oval, Perth	Australia	24–23	South Africa
2013	28 September	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa	28–8	Australia
	7 September	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	12–38	South Africa
2012	29 September	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa	31–8	Australia
	8 September	Subiaco Oval, Perth	Australia	26–19	South Africa
2011	13 August	Kings Park Stadium, Durban	South Africa	9–14	Australia
	23 July	Stadium Australia, Sydney	Australia	39–20	South Africa
2010	4 September	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	South Africa	39–41	Australia
	28 August	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa	44–31	Australia
	24 July	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane	Australia	30–13	South Africa
2009	5 September	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	21–6	South Africa
	29 August	Subiaco Oval, Perth	Australia	25–32	South Africa
	8 August	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa	29–17	Australia
2008	30 August	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa	53–8	Australia
	23 August	Kings Park Stadium, Durban	South Africa	15–27	Australia
	19 July	Subiaco Oval, Perth	Australia	16–9	South Africa
2007	7 July	Stadium Australia, Sydney	Australia	25–17	South Africa
	16 June	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa	22–19	Australia
2006	9 September	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa	24–16	Australia
	5 August	Stadium Australia, Sydney	Australia	20–18	South Africa
	15 July	Lang Park, Brisbane	Australia	49–0	South Africa
2005	23 July	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa	33–20	Australia
	9 July	Stadium Australia, Sydney	Australia	30–12	South Africa
2002	17 August	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa	33–31	Australia
2000	8 July	Docklands Stadium, Melbourne	Australia	44–23	South Africa

See also

• Sports portal
• Australia portal
• South Africa portal

• History of rugby union matches between Australia and South Africa

References

1. "A short history of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate - SuperSport - Football". www.supersport.com.
2. "Flynn Silver : Awards & Trophies". www.flynnsilver.com.au. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
3. Pick and Go rugby archive ^{[ usurped ]} – select Wallabies and Boks, Mandela Plate.