The Rugby Championship 2025

“South Africa is still the dominant force in world rugby.” What everyone, who is a fan of international rugby, knows.

The Rugby Championship

The annual Rugby Championship is the premier rugby competition in the southern hemisphere. It is contested by South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia – the order in which each team finished in the 2024 competition.

The Draw

This year’s competition starts on Saturday, August 16.  Australia plays two matches against South Africa in South Africa on consecutive weekends. New Zealand plays two matches against Argentina in Argentina, also on consecutive weekends. The complete draw is below.

Date	🇿🇦 South Africa	🇦🇷 Argentina	🇦🇺 Australia	🇳🇿 New Zealand
16 Aug (Sat)	vs Australia	vs New Zealand	@ South Africa	@ Argentina
23 Aug (Sat)	vs Australia	vs New Zealand	@ South Africa	@ Argentina
6 Sep (Sat)	@ New Zealand (Auckland)	@ Australia (Townsville)	vs Argentina	vs South Africa
13 Sep (Sat)	@ New Zealand (Wellington)	@ Australia (Sydney)	vs Argentina	vs South Africa
27 Sep (Sat)	vs Argentina	@ South Africa	@ New Zealand (Auckland)	vs Australia
4 Oct (Sat)	@ Argentina	vs South Africa	vs New Zealand (Perth)	@ Australia

South Africa

Winners of four Rugby World Cups – the last two in 2019 and 2023. Currently ranked number one of all rugby playing nations with 92.78 points. South Africa is a strong favorite to retain The Rugby Championship trophy. Their 'bomb squad' who are launched in the second half of a match makes them formidable opponents. They have big, strong, and fit forwards and backs, many of whom are considered to be the world’s best in their position.

New Zealand

Historically the famous All Blacks are the winningest team in the history of rugby. Unleashed before every match, the haka is a fearsome spectacle - some call it the All Blacks secret weapon, an emotional edge that borders on an unfair advantage. Ranked number two in the world with ranking points of 92.06. The All Blacks will have to field their very best team in all positions if they hope to challenge South Africa for the Rugby Championship Trophy.

Australia

Having just completed an unsuccessful series against the British Lions, resulting in two losses and a win, Australia is battle-hardened for their visit to South Africa. Their series loss to the Lions came in the closing minutes of the second test, a test Australia was leading. A controversial call gave the attacking Lions, opportunity to snatch victory at the death.

Argentina

Argentina, Los Pumas, is ranked number seven in world rugby, just below Australia at number six. The gap may seem wide between the two top ranked teams, South Africa and New Zealand, but it isn’t. They have defeated both New Zealand and South Africa a number of times in this competition. In a thrilling match against South Africa in September 2024, Argentina shocked South Africa 29–28 in Santiago. Overcoming a 17–0 deficit Los Pumas were victorious in a thrilling Rugby Championship test match.

Summary

South Africa deserves to be the favorites for The Rugby Championship; however, history shows that any of the four Southern Hemisphere teams are capable of winning the trophy. It is an exciting tournament for all rugby fans to enjoy, when every test match is worth watching even when the championship has already been won.

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