South Africa announce July series vs Wales before back-to-back home New Zealand Tests

Wales will visit South Africa for the first time since 2014 this summer after the reigning world champions announced a three-Test July series against the Six Nations titleholders.

New Zealand will then face the Springboks on their own soil for the first time in almost four years when they travel for the opening two rounds of the 2022 Rugby Championship.

The southern-hemisphere heavyweights played both of last year's Rugby Championship fixtures in the Australia bubble, while their sole meeting in the shortened 2019 tournament took place in Wellington.

The global pandemic meant South Africa didn't participate in the 2020 Rugby Championship—which became a modified Tri-Nations—and went almost two years without a home game between August 2019 and July 2021.

Head coach Jacques Nienaber's side beat the British and Irish Lions in Cape Town last year before hosting Argentina in back-to-back games, but this year's schedule is now more akin to their normal programme.

“Pending the return of crowds to our tests and with the Covid-19 pandemic still presenting challenges throughout the world, we understand the fluid nature of match schedules, but it is important for us that the team face quality opposition as we gear up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France,” said South Africa Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux in a statement.

The Boks will first host Wales at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, July 2, before hosting at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on July 9.

They'll wrap up their series against Wayne Pivac's side in Cape Town on Saturday, July 16, hoping to preserve an undefeated record hosting this particular foe.

Wales entered this year's Six Nations as defending champions, although their chances of retaining the