World champions South Africa will host Italy in a two-Test series next year, a South Africa Rugby official confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.
The South African website had reported on the news earlier in the week.
No dates, venues
“The Azzurri are coming here next July for two Tests,” the official said, ahead of an announcement by the country’s governing body.
No match dates have been set, nor venues chosen.
The Springboks played in Pretoria, Durban, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Mbombela this year.
South Africa will also host a second-tier rugby union nation – most likely Georgia – during July.
Italy had their most successful Six Nations campaign this year – beating Scotland and Wales, drawing with France and losing to England and Ireland.
South Africa have beaten Italy 15 times and lost once since first meeting in Rome in 1995, the year the Springboks won the first of a record four Rugby World Cup titles.
The last Test between the countries was two years ago in Genoa, where the visitors triumphed 63-21.
| Date | Result | Venue |
| 12 November 1995 | Won 40-21 | Olympic Stadium, Rome |
| 8 November 1997 | Won 62-31 | Dall’Ara Stadium, Bologna |
| 12 June 1999 | Won 74-3 | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth |
| 19 June 1999 | Won 101-0 | Kings Park, Durban |
| 30 June 2001 | Won 60-14 | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth |
| 17 November 2001 | Won 54-26 | Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa |
| 21 June 2008 | Won 26-0 | Newlands, Cape Town |
| 21 November 2009 | Won 32-10 | Stadio Friuli, Udine |
| 19 June 2010 | Won 29-13 | Puma Stadium, Witbank |
| 26 June 2010 | Won 55-11 | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London |
| 8 June 2013 | Won 44-10 | Kings Park, Durban |
| 22 November 2014 | Won 22-6 | Stadio Euganeo, Padua |
| 19 November 2016 | Lost 20-18 | Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence |
| 25 November 2017 | Won 35-6 | Stadio Euganeo, Padua |
| 4 October 2019 | Won 49-3 | Shizuoka Stadium, Fukuroi |
| 19 November 2022 | Won 63-21 | Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa |
Meanwhile, South Africa have won both their previous encounters against Georgia.
The first came at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, while the their only previous visit to South Africa resulted in defeat in Pretoria in 2021.
| Date | Result | Venue |
| 24 October 2003 | Won 46-19 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 2 July 2021 | Won 40-9 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
Thoughts on the Springboks facing Italy and Georgia?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest Springbok news.
