South Africa to open northern tour with Japan clash at Wembley

South Africa will launch their autumn international schedule with a high-profile clash against Japan at Wembley Stadium on November 1, marking the first rugby international to be staged at the London venue since 2016. The showdown, a rematch of the famous Miracle of Brighton game from the 2015 World Cup, will open a five-match northern-hemisphere tour that also includes tests against France in Paris, followed by fixtures in Italy, Ireland and Wales. The match against Japan sits within a broader calendar that sits alongside South Africa’s ongoing Rugby Championship campaign, which reaches its conclusion in early October with a final round against Argentina at Twickenham.

The autumn itinerary follows a demanding southern-hemisphere schedule in which South Africa have faced a revamped, confident Japan side in recent weeks. The Springboks’ immediate focus remains the Rugby Championship, with Argentina providing the opposition in a match that will determine standings before the northern tour begins. The clash with Japan at Wembley is framed as a prestigious opening act for a demanding period that also includes a first official Test against France in Paris a week after the Wembley...