Overview

• Round One kicks off on Saturday with South Africa facing Australia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Argentina taking on New Zealand in Córdoba.
• Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus named Manie Libbok at fly-half, shifted captain Siya Kolisi to No. 8 and added Boan Venter to the bench after Jan-Hendrik Wessels withdrew with a niggle.
• Wallabies recalled veteran James O’Connor to start at fly-half, saw Nic White delay his retirement and lost Ben Donaldson to a training injury while Tom Lynagh dropped out of the matchday 23.
• Ben O’Keeffe will referee the Johannesburg Test with live coverage on SuperSport internationally and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
• Long-term calendar moves including the Springboks–All Blacks touring pact, World Rugby’s Nations Cup launch and 2027 World Cup scheduling have placed the competition’s six-round format in doubt.