The Springboks will kick off their season in July with matches against England, Scotland and Wales, but it’s likely they will head into those games without the services of powerhouse lock Lood de Jager.
It’s been confirmed that De Jager will miss the remainder of the Japanese League One season after his club, the Wild Knights, confirmed he was set for surgery on a hip injury.
The 33-year-old is expected to be sidelined for at least six months in this latest setback for a player who has endured regular issues with injuries during a 73-Test cap career.
If De Jager misses the start of the Springboks’ Test season, the likes of Ruan Nortje, Franco Mostert and RG Snyman will offer options at No 5.
The first Test of the season against England is set for Saturday 4 July, and will be followed by encounters against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales at Kings Park in Durban (18 July). Kick off times are still to be confirmed.
All Springbok fixtures so far for 2026:
- Saturday 4 July | England | Ellis Park, Johannesburg
- Saturday 11 July | Scotland | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
- Saturday 18 July | Wales | Kings Park, Durban
- Saturday 22 August | First Test – New Zealand at Ellis Park, Johannesburg
- Saturday 29 August | Second Test – South Africa v New Zealand at DHL Stadium, Cape Town
- Saturday 5 September | Third Test – South Africa v New Zealand at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
- Saturday 12 September | Fourth Test – South Africa v New Zealand | Venue TBC
- Weekend of 6-8 November | Italy | Venue TBC
- Weekend of 13-15 November | France | Venue TBC
- Saturday 21 November | Ireland | Venue TBC
Award nominees from last season
Meanwhile, on Friday, SA Rugby unveiled the list of stars who are up for awards for the 2025 season.
SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year
- Pieter-Steph du Toit
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
- Malcolm Marx
- Ox Nche
- Jasper Wiese
SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year
- Byrhandré Dolf
- Aseza Hele
- Libbie Janse van Rensburg
- Babalwa Latsha
- Nadine Roos
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Boks / DHL Stormers)
- Ethan Hooker (Springboks / Hollywoodbets Sharks)
- Canan Moodie (Springboks / Vodacom Bulls)
- Haashim Pead (Junior Boks / Lions)
- Zachary Porthen (Boks / DHL Stormers)
Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year
- Selvyn Davids
- Shilton van Wyk
- Impi Visser
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
- Cheswill Jooste
- Riley Norton
- Haashim Pead
Team of the Year
- Junior Springboks
- Springboks
- Springbok Sevens
Coach of the Year
- Swys de Bruin (Bok Women)
- Rassie Erasmus (Boks)
- Kevin Foote (Junior Springboks)
- Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens)
Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
- Donavan Don (Sanlam Boland Kavaliers)
- Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas)
- George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas)
Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
- Keagan Fortune (Valke)
- Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)
- Willem van den Hever (NovaVit Griffons)
FNB Fans’ Moments of the Year – VOTE NOW!
- The Springboks’ defence of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title
- The Springbok Women’s best-ever performance at a Rugby World Cup
- The Springboks’ unbeaten run on the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour in November
- The Junior Springboks winning the World Rugby U20 Championship
- The Springboks’ record victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand
- The Springbok Sevens winning the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles
