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South Africa and New Zealand are discussing hosting an eight-match tour involving the two rugby union giants every four years, a senior Springbok official told AFP on Wednesday.
South Africa is proposed to host the event in 2026 and New Zealand in 2030, with the itinerary set to include four Tests and four matches against franchises.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not an authorized spokesman, said one of the tests could be held at a neutral location, perhaps in England or the United States.
“The rumors that an agreement has been reached are false. Discussions are ongoing and I believe they will lead to a positive outcome. We should have clarification by the end of the month,” he said.
“The sticking point is the Rugby Championship in tour years. There is speculation that those tours could be eight weeks, so what happens to the games against Argentina and Australia?”
Outside of Rugby World Cup years, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have played each other twice. They meet once in the quadrennial World Cup years.
From round one to round two, the Rugby Championship spans eight weeks in August and September, the same period South Africa and New Zealand are keen to use for tours.
If the tours go ahead, South Africa favours a single-round championship, while New Zealand would prefer the 2026 and 2030 editions to be cancelled.
Many of the Springboks are based overseas and are expected to return to their clubs after the eight-week window, raising the possibility they will have to field only locals in additional tests.
The South Africa v New Zealand Test is hugely popular, with an SA Rugby official saying they could sell 240,000 tickets for the match at the 60,000 capacity Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Tickets for last Saturday’s Johannesburg Test, which South Africa won 31-27 thanks to two late tries, sold out in less than 30 minutes.
Prime seats at Ellis Park cost 2,150 rand ($120/110 euros) – more than 40 times the price of a ticket to see the national football team – but they have been in high demand.
Defending champions South Africa have won four of the ten World Cups, and New Zealand three. Australia have won two and England one.
New Zealand have dominated the Rugby Championship since its launch in 2012, winning nine editions. Australia and South Africa have each topped the table just once.
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