Springboks to Face Japan at London’s Wembley in November

JOHANNESBURG — Publication date unavailable

The Springboks will play Japan at London’s Wembley Stadium on 1 November 2025, kicking off at 16:10 UK time, in their opening match of the end-of-year tour.

This will be just the fourth Test between the nations. Their most famous meeting was Japan’s 34-32 upset win in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, known as the ‘Miracle of Brighton’.

South Africa won both subsequent encounters in 2019: 41-7 in Saitama and 26-3 in the World Cup quarter-finals in Tokyo.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said: “We are delighted to be starting off our tour of the northern hemisphere with a match against Japan at the iconic Wembley Stadium, especially ahead of a challenging Outgoing Tour which kicks off a week later with the first official Test of the November window against France in Paris.”

Erasmus noted Japan’s style, saying: “The Brave Blossoms are renowned for playing fast, attacking, high-tempo rugby – which has been prevalent in our last two encounters.”

South Africa’s only previous Test at Wembley was a 28-20 victory over Wales in November 1998 (source not provided). They drew 31-31 with the Barbarians there in 2016.

Tickets start at £55 for adults and £27.50 for under-16s, available via Ticketmaster with group discounts for 10+ bookings.

Editor’s note: Publication date unconfirmed in source material. Historical match statistics reported as per original article.