All Blacks confirm venue for massive Springbok clash in July

Because of this year's World Cup, the Boks will play only three fixtures in a shortened Rugby Championship, squaring off once against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina throughout the month of July.

But while it was always known the clash against the All Blacks will take place in New Zealand on July 15, the venue had not yet been revealed.

Now the Boks know they will play their first-ever test at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium, a venue normally reserved for NRL matches, though it also served as Moana Pasifika's home ground during last year's Super Rugby competition.

While All Black fortress Eden Park would otherwise have been chosen as the venue for the match, the stadium will be hosting FIFA Women's World Cup matches at around the same time as the Springbok Test.

"The Rugby Championship is an exciting but tough draw," said All Blacks coach Ian Foster.

"With the challenges of stadium availability in Australasia, we are delighted to play this huge South African Test at Mt Smart. We believe it's key for the connection with our fans to have this massive game in our backyard and can't wait.

The Boks and All Blacks will do battle one more time prior to the start of the World Cup when they meet in a one-off warm-up match at Twickenham on Friday, 25 August, a clash that promises to be every bit as exciting as the showdown in Auckland.