Springboks to face Barbarians at Wembley in November 2016
The iconic Wembley Stadium in London will host the Springboks when they aim to break a 16-year winning drought against the famous Barbarians on 5 November 2016.
This match is the third encounter to be confirmed for the Springboks’ traditional tour of the Northern Hemisphere at the end of the local season. South Africa will also face England (12 November) and Wales (26 November), with more matches to be added to the tour soon.
The match at Wembley will be the Springboks’ first against the Barbarians since 2010, when the composite side recorded their fourth win over South Africa dating back to 1952, when these sides first met.
It will be the Springboks’ third visit to Wembley. They first played Wales there in 1998, when the Principality Stadium was being built, and also played Saracens at the famous venue north east of London in a midweek match in 2009.
It will also be the Barbarians’ first appearance at Wembley since the Olympic Centenary match against Australia in 2008. The Springboks have played the Baabaas seven times before, winning three and losing four. Their last win against the invitational side was by 41-31 in Cardiff in 2000.
“The rivalry between the Boks and the Baabaas goes back many years and has provided many historic occasions,” said SARU CEO Jurie Roux.
“To play them at Wembley next year for the first time will add a new chapter – this was the venue for the biggest attendance at the recent Rugby World Cup in England, when close to 90,000 packed the stadium to see Ireland take on Romania.
“It will provide the Springboks will an ideal start to their European tour.”
Barbarians v South Africa:
1952: Barbarians 3 South Africa 17
1961: Barbarians 6 South Africa 0
1970: Barbarians 12 South Africa 21
1994: Barbarians 23 South Africa 15
2000: Barbarians 31 South Africa 41
2007: Barbarians 22 South Africa 5
2010: Barbarians 26 South Africa 20
Photo: Anton Geyser / Rugby 15
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