South Africa will face world champions New Zealand in coastal city Durban next October in the Rugby Championship after four seasons of hosting their greatest rivals on the Highveld.
New Zealand regained the world title and became the first three-time winners of the global rugby showpiece last Saturday with a 34-17 final triumph over Australia at Twickenham.
South Africa overcame Argentina 24-13 the previous day to finish third after another all-southern hemisphere clash.
Announcing the Springboks' 2016 home schedule Friday, national rugby body Saru said the match against the All Blacks would be staged at Kings Park on October 8,
Dismissing a belief that the 1,750-metre (6,000-feet) Highveld altitude would give South Africa an advantage, New Zealand won in Soweto and twice in Johannesburg during the past four seasons.
A monster, last-minute Patrick Lambie penalty gave the Springboks a two-point victory in another southern hemisphere championship match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
South Africa will prepare for the six-round Rugby Championship, which also includes Australia and Argentina, by playing three Tests against European champions Ireland next June.
Saru also announced that a meeting to decide the fate of Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer, whose four-year contract is about to expire, has been put back one week to December 11.
Meyer wants to continue amid criticism of his uncreative, overly-physical tactics and a failure to racially transform a team that included only three black starters in key World Cup games.
Sports minister Fikile Mbalula reiterated Friday that transformation was “non-negotiable” and that he expected the Springbok side at the 2019 World Cup in Japan to be 50 percent black.
Ninety percent of South Africans are black and the government wants the national rugby team to shed a “snow white” image.
South Africa 2016 home fixtures
Tests
June 11: Ireland, Cape Town
June 18: Ireland, Johannesburg
June 25: Ireland, Port Elizabeth
Rugby Championship
Aug 20: Argentina, Nelspruit
Oct 1: Australia, Pretoria
Oct 8: New Zealand, Durban – AFP