Springboks, Pumas to travel to Australia together

• The Springboks will travel to Australia on Thursday to complete their Rugby Championship schedule.
• South Africa and Argentina will travel together and both teams will be placed in quarantine for two weeks before taking to the field.
• The Boks will tackle the Wallabies in Gold Coast and Brisbane and duel the All Blacks in Townsville and Gold Coast.

SA Rugby has confirmed that the Springboks will depart for Queensland, Australia on Thursday to complete their Rugby Championship schedule.

This follows Tuesday's confirmation that South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina will play four double-header Tests in front of fans between 12 September and 2 October in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Townsville.

The changes to the schedule were brought about by the tightening of regulations placed on travel and quarantine by various state and national governments due to the latest outbreaks of Covid-19 in Australia and New Zealand.

The Springboks will kick off the away leg of their campaign against Australia on Sunday, 12 September, at the CBUS Super Stadium in Gold Coast, which will be followed by another match-up between the teams at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday, 18 September.

These fixtures will be followed by back-to-back matches against New Zealand on Saturday, 25 September at QLD Country Bank Stadium in Townsville and Saturday, 2 October, at the CBUS Super Stadium in Gold Coast.

The matches were initially scheduled to be hosted in Sydney, Brisbane, Dunedin and Auckland respectively.

Each round will feature a double-header of matches between the four participating teams at the same venue, and fans will be allowed to attend the matches.

"We are pleased that the Rugby Championship match schedule has been finalised and we are looking forward to continuing our campaign in Australia," Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said in a statement.

"We can now continue our planning to ensure that the players are ready for the next four matches from a physical and mental point of view, and we are excited about facing our old foes Australia and New Zealand again after kicking off the tournament well against Argentina."

Boks, Pumas on the same plane

SA Rugby said the Springboks and Los Pumas will travel to Australia together on Thursday afternoon, and both teams will be placed in quarantine for two weeks before taking to the field, after which they will then operate normally in Australia with no restrictions being placed on their movements.

Despite being in quarantine, the Boks will be allowed to train as they have been in South Africa since the start of the Lions series.

"The two-week quarantine period means we will be on tour for just under six weeks, but we are looking forward to experiencing normal life after a year-and-a-half of living under several forms of adjusted Covid-19 restrictions in South Africa," said Nienaber.

"This will certainly assist in ensuring that the players are fresh mentally when they take the field, which is essential for them to peak in form."

The Springboks had Monday and Tuesday off to rest and recover from the physically and mentally taxing schedule in the last two months, which saw them take on Georgia, the British & Irish Lions and play two matches against Argentina.