Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is pleased about starting off their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign in unfamiliar territory later this year.

Rugby Australia confirmed their decision to take the first of the two fixtures against SA — scheduled for Saturday, August 27 — to Adelaide, where the Boks will play for the first time.

The match will be staged at Adelaide Oval, an iconic cricket venue in South Australia.

The two sides’ second encounter is scheduled for the following week in New South Wales (NSW) on September 3 at a venue that is yet to be announced.

Nienaber’s charges will also be returning to NSW for the first time in more than a decade after becoming accustomed to playing mainly in Brisbane and Perth in the past few years.

“We are very excited about playing in Adelaide for the first time and hopefully we can make the most of this occasion in a season that will be vital as we build towards the Rugby World Cup in France next year,” Nienaber said.

“The players enjoyed the experience of playing four Tests in Queensland last year, and Adelaide will present another exciting new challenge for the team, while the last time we played the Wallabies in New South Wales was back in 2011 in Sydney.

“It also offers us the opportunity to start on a new slate at a fresh venue in a country that we have come to know very well over the years.”

SA Rugby also confirmed that all six of the Boks’ home Tests, two against the All Blacks, this year will kick off at 5.05pm (SA time).

SA will play Wales three times in the Castle Lager Incoming Series in July, plus the three Rugby Championship Tests in SA — against New Zealand at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on August 6 and at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on August 13 and Argentina at Kings Park in Durban on September 24.

The three fixtures against Wales will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 2, Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on July 9 and Cape Town Stadium on July 16.

“Match-days are very structured for us, and every minute counts in ensuring that the players perform to their optimal ability when the starting whistle sounds, so the kickoff times allow us to fine-tune our planning even more as the countdown begins to the international season,” said Nienaber.

While kickoff times for both fixtures against Australia are yet to be confirmed, the Boks’ away match against Argentina at Estadio Velez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on September 17 is scheduled to start at 9.10pm (SA time).

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