Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions | Wales to play summer matches against England (twice) and SA

Both England and the Springboks pay a visit to Principality Stadium in August as all the major powers in the world game begin their preparations for the showpiece tournament in earnest.
Wales’ near-neighbours kick off the warm-up campaign for Wayne Pivac’s Wales with a visit to Cardiff on Saturday 5th August.

Pivac then takes his side on the road to Twickenham for the return fixture on Saturday 12th August before heading home again to host the ‘Boks on Saturday 19th August.

The matches come at the sharp end of preparations for Rugby World Cup 2023, following tough training camps that taking place in June and July. They offer fans two final chances to watch players in action for Wales on home soil, as they challenge for coveted spots on the plane to France before the final squad for the tournament is announced.

“With less than a year to go until Rugby World Cup 2023 we have a clear programme set out for the squad in readiness for the tournament,” said Wales senior men’s head coach Wayne Pivac.

“I’m pleased we are able to confirm warm-up matches against England – home and away – and at home against South Africa as part of this.

“These three matches are a key element of our final Rugby World Cup preparations and we look forward to seeing as many fans as possible at them before the squad departs for France.”

Tickets for the matches at Principality Stadium are expected to go on public sale in the New Year.

The Welsh Rugby Union always recommends the best place to buy international tickets is from your local rugby club, but remaining tickets will be available from www.wales/tickets in the New Year, with all proceeds received fed back into the game in Wales.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a tough opponent in Wales and to play them both home and away, along with the atmosphere we always experience in Cardiff. It will be great preparation for the squad,” said England head coach Eddie Jones.

27.02.21 – Wales v England – Guinness Six Nations – Scrum

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber added:
“Wales have always proven to be tough competition for us and our results against them in the last few years are evidence of the quality of the side they are,” said Nienaber. “The Rugby World Cup is one of the toughest competitions in the world, and you have to be at your best every week to reach the final, so it’s vital that we test ourselves against quality opposition in the lead-up to the competition.

“With Wales being in the top 10 in the world and the team holding a good win record against us in Cardiff in the last few seasons, we have no doubt this will be a strong character test and fantastic preparation for us going into the World Cup.”