Rugby News

The All Blacks will aim to build on their recent win in Johannesburg when they take on Los Pumas in the third round of The Rugby Championship.

New Zealand ended a three-match losing streak thanks to an excellent performance against South Africa at Ellis Park, while Argentina put Australia to the sword in San Juan last time out.

Argentina are sitting at the top of the table as a result, although they’ll have to claim a first-ever win against the All Blacks on New Zealand soil this Saturday if they hope to remain there.

A loss for either side in Christchurch would leave them facing an uphill battle to win this year’s Rugby Championship, with all four sides having won one and lost one after two rounds of action.

All Blacks v Los Pumas: How can I watch the game live on TV?

The match will be aired live on Saturday, August 27th on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena. Coverage begins at 8.35am Irish time while the match kicks off at 8.45am.

Sky Sports can also be accessed through a NOW TV subscription.

Team news.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has made just one change to his match-day squad, with Stephen Perofeta in line to make his debut off the bench after replacing Beauden Barrett, who misses out due to a neck injury.

New Zealand were much improved in their last outing as they beat South Africa in Johannesburg, and Foster will be hoping that consistency in his selection will produce consistency in performance.

Rugby Los Pumas were played from July to November. Argentina’s Rugby fixtures for 2023 will have a minimum of nine test matches. Four are confirmed for the Rugby World Cup. The number will increase if Argentina plays in a Quarter Final.

The year will begin in July. Los Pumas are scheduled to play in a reduced Rugby Championship in July. This will see a home match against New Zealand in Mendoza and an away match against Australia at Western Sydney Stadium, the venue that Los Pumas defeated New Zealand in 2020.

South Africa and Argentina are to play two matches. The first will be at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The second match against South Africa will be on August 05 in Buenos Aires. This match is not part of the 2023 Rugby Championship. South Africa have additional warm-up matches scheduled for August 19 against Wales in Cardiff and August 25 against New Zealand in London.

There are no matches scheduled between Los Pumas and Chile or Uruguay. Both of Argentina’s neighbors will play at the World Cup. Los Pumas will finalize preparations in Argentina after facing South Africa in August before traveling to Europe.

Three weeks after facing the Springboks, Los Pumas will face Los Leones in Madrid, Spain. In the first test match between the countries since 1992 the teams will face-off at the Wanda Metropolitano, the Estádio Metropolitano now known as the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano.

Argentina’s Rugby World Cup campaign will begin on September 09. Los Pumas will go head-to-head with England in Marseille. The match is arguably the pivotal fixture in Pool D. The winner will be very unlikely to miss out on a spot in the Quarter Finals.

The All Blacks will play two tests on home turf this year against South Africa and Australia. The All Blacks will take on the Springboks at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday 15 July and will face the Wallabies in the second Bledisloe Cup test of the year at Forsyth Barr Stadium in a rare afternoon kickoff on August 5.

The fixtures were not spread out; rather, they were played from July to November. Argentina Rugby fixtures for 2023 will have a minimum of nine test matches. Four are confirmed for the Rugby World Cup. The number will increase if Argentina play in a Quarter Final.

The home tests will be part of a 2023 schedule which will see the All Blacks play five tests in the buildup to the Rugby World Cup in France in September, starting with a trip to Mendoza to face the Pumas in their Rugby Championship opener.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster said the Rugby Championship is “an exciting but tough draw”.

Playing the Argentinians in Argentina is an exciting challenge after not being there since 2019. 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 Dunedin test is also equally important for us because it’s our last chance to play in front of our fans before we head off for an exciting Rugby World Cup.”

New Zealand Rugby head of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum said it was important for the All Blacks to be able to play in Aotearoa in a World Cup year.

“Although there is a shortened Rugby Championship schedule, there will no doubt be an edge to the test matches played this year. The Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup remain vitally important to New Zealand Rugby, I know Foz (Foster) and the team are looking forward to the season kicking off as they continue to build ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September.

All Blacks 2023 test schedule

The Rugby Championship

All Blacks v Argentina – Saturday 8 July, Estadio Malvinas Argentina, Mendoza

All Blacks v South Africa – Saturday 15 July, 7.05pm, Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland

All Blacks v Australia – Saturday 29 July, location and time TBC (Bledisloe Cup match one)

Bledisloe Cup match two

All Blacks v Australia – Saturday 5 August, 2.35pm, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Test match

All Blacks v South Africa – Friday 25 August, 7.30pm, Twickenham Stadium, London