The All Blacks are set to play five Test matches at home in this year’s Rugby Championship, as well as an extra Bledisloe Cup Test.
The schedule for the 2021 Rugby Championship was recently unveiled with a full roster of teams, including South Africa. The bulk of the Rugby Championship matches will be played in Australia and New Zealand, with both countries hosting five matches each and South Africa two.
The All Blacks play the opening Bledisloe Cup Test before the start of the Rugby Championship, at Eden Park, Auckland, on Saturday 7 August.
The second Bledisloe Test is at Optus Stadium, Perth on Saturday 21 August. The third will be at Sky Stadium, Wellington on Saturday 28 August.
Busy September for the All Blacks
September will see four Tests in a row for the All Blacks, with back-to-back Tests against Argentina, at Eden Park on Saturday 11 September and Sky Stadium, Wellington on Saturday 18 September. The latter is a “home” game for the Pumas.
The first of the back-to-back Tests against South Africa at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin on Saturday 25 September will be the 100th Test match between the two famous foes. The 100th year anniversary game between the sides will be played in the same city as that first ever Test. It was Played at Carisbrook on 13 August 1921 with the All Blacks winning 13-5.
The All Blacks’ final Rugby Championship Test against South Africa will be at Eden Park on Saturday 2 October. This is a “home game” for the Springboks.
The All Blacks will play three Tests in the earlier Steinlager Series, one against Tonga and two against Fiji. They will also play four Tests on their Northern Hemisphere Tour against Wales, Italy, Ireland and France later in the year. The All Blacks will play 14 Tests in total this year, their busiest year since 2017 when they played 14 Tests and two non-Test matches.
