With just over a month to go until the World Cup, the Springboks and pool opponents Ireland and Scotland will step up their preparation for the global showpiece this weekend.
The dust has settled on the Rugby Championship, with the Boks finishing in second place after home wins over Australia and Argentina in between a loss to the All Blacks in Auckland.
MORE: Boks to tame World Cup ‘beast’
Saturday will see the World Cup warm-up matches start in earnest as most of the top-tier nations will be in action against each other.
The day starts with the second leg of the Bledisloe Cup, with the All Blacks hosting the Wallabies in Dunedin after claiming a 38-7 victory in Melbourne in the final round of the Rugby Championship.
Saturday evening will see the Six Nations teams against each other. Of particular interest to South Africa, will be the matches between Scotland and France in Edinburgh and Ireland and Italy in Dublin.
The Springboks are in Pool B with Scotland and Ireland at the World Cup, and could potentially face hosts France in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, the defending world champions will be in action against Argentina in Buenos Aires, after holding on for a one-point victory over Los Pumas at Ellis Park. The Boks have taken just 10 players from the Rugby Championship finale to Argentina, while the other 16 will get a big opportunity to make an impression in the final match before the World Cup squad announcement.
SQUAD: Roos, Fourie set for Pumas rematch
Jacques Nienaber will announce the final 33-man squad for the World Cup on 8 August.
Fixtures (Saturday, 5 August):
All Blacks vs Wallabies, Dunedin, 4.35am
Scotland vs France, Edinburgh, 4.05pm
Wales vs England, Cardiff, 6.20pm
Ireland vs Italy, Dublin, 8.50pm
Argentina vs Springboks, Buenos Aires, 9pm
Photo: Willem Loock/BackpagePix