Springboks to kick off Rugby Championship against Argentina

MELBOURNE - The southern hemisphere's four-nation Rugby Championship will kick off with world champions South Africa playing Argentina in the first match of a double-header at Brisbane's Lang Park on November 7, organisers said on Thursday.

Hosts Australia meet New Zealand in the second match at Lang Park, which also doubles as the third fixture of the Bledisloe Cup, the annual series played between the trans-Tasman nations.

Brisbane will host only the first of six rounds of double-headers, with most matches played in Sydney at Western Sydney Stadium and Stadium Australia.

The fourth round will be played at Newcastle, with the Wallabies playing the Pumas before the Springboks clash with the All Blacks.

Australia play New Zealand in the final round at Stadium Australia, the last of the four Bledisloe Cup matches.

New Zealand host the first Bledisloe match in Wellington on October 11 with the second in Auckland a week later.

With the Covid-19 pandemic limiting international travel, Australia were awarded sole hosting rights of the tournament by governing body SANZAAR.