'Amazingly enough...': Historic first for Scotland and South Africa revealed

It was confirmed on Friday that the match in the newly established Nations Championship will take place at altitude in Pretoria on July 11, 2026.

It will be Scotland’s first game against the Springboks on South African soil since 2014 when they lost 55-6 in Port Elizabeth.

The fixture at Loftus Versfeld will be Scotland’s second of the Nations Championship, the new global tournament which will see the top sides from Europe and the south compete against each other in a cross-hemisphere format, replacing the traditional summer tours and autumn Tests.

“Amazingly enough, Scotland have never played the Boks at Loftus Versfeld, although they played two Rugby World Cup matches at the stadium in 1995,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.

Scotland beat Tonga 41-5 and lost 22-19 to France in pool stage fixtures at Loftus at the ’95 World Cup. Scotland also played a summer tour match against Italy at the stadium in 2013, winning 30-29 thanks to Alasdair Strokosch's late converted try.

Several of the current Scotland squad were in the Glasgow Warriors side that famously won the United Rugby Championship final at Loftus Versfeld in 2024, defeating the Bulls on their own ground to lift the trophy.

Scotland will open their Nations Championship campaign against Argentina away on July 4 next year before travelling to South Africa the following week then rounding off their summer programme against Fiji on July 18. The venue for the final game has yet to be determined but it is likely to be played in Europe, possibly even at Murrayfield even though it is technically Fiji’s home game.

The Scots will then welcome three visiting sides to Edinburgh in autumn 2026, with New Zealand, Australia and Japan all set to play at Murrayfield in November.

The Nations Championship games are expected to be broadcast free to air in the UK on ITV.

Meanwhile, SA Rugby announced on Friday that they have extended the contract of head coach Rassie Erasmus for a further four years. His current deal was due to expire in 2027 and it means he is now contracted until after the 2031 Rugby World Cup in the USA.

“This decision reflects not only Rassie’s remarkable track record of success, but also the enduring impact he has made in shaping the identity of our game,” said Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby.

Erasmus, a former Springbok captain, was first appointed as director of rugby in 2018 and under his guidance, South Africa won successive Rugby World Cups in 2019 and 2023. His title changed to Springbok head coach in 2024.

South Africa have won the Rugby Championship in the last two years and also finished the last three seasons as the top-ranked team in the world.

“This was a quick and easy conversation to reach agreement,” said Erasmus. “I have always said that I would find it hard to coach any other international team, and I’m very happy to continue as long as the South African public wants me.”