Take note of the 2012 Rugby Championship Schedule

2012 Rugby ChampionshipThe 2012 Rugby Championship kicks off this weekend. South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina will be competing for the trophy this year. The Rugby Championship was formerly known as the Tri-Nations Tournament but it has undergone a name change since 4 national teams are now competing in this awesome showcase of the best international rugby.

Apart from the Rugby Championship trophy, the winner of games played between Australia and New Zealand also goes toward determining the winner of the Bledisloe Cup each year. The Freedom Cup is also contested between New Zealand and South Africa, and the Mandela Challenge Plate between Australia and South Africa.

It will be very interesting to see how the tournament will change with the introduction of Argentina into its ranks. Argentina has a reputation to be one of most unpredictable teams in international rugby. Argentina have reached the IRB Rugby World Cup Quarter Final stage twice and the Semi Final stage once. Santiago Phelan is the current coach and Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe is the current captain of the Argentinian national rugby team.  Argentina are currently ranked at number 8 on the IRB World Rankings list. The Los Pumas will be going all out this year to prove their worth against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

New Zealand have won the Tri-Nations tournament a record 10 times. The All Blacks will be going all out to try and secure their first ever Rugby Championship title in 2012. New Zealand have won the IRB Rugby World Cup twice (in 1987 and 2011). The New Zealand national rugby team is currently coached by Steve Hansen and captained by Richie McCaw.  It will be interesting to see how the All Blacks will perform with the addition of Argentina in this year’s tournament. New Zealand are currently ranked first on the IRB World Rankings list.

Australia have won the Tri-Nations tournament 3 times and the IRB Rugby World Cup twice (in 1991 and 1999). Robbie Deans is the current coach and David Pocock is the current captain of the Aussie national rugby union team. Australia are currently ranked 2nd on the IRB World Rankings list. The Wallabies will also be going all out to prove their worth in the 2012 Rugby Championship.  It will be interesting to see how they perform in this year’s tournament.

The Springboks have won the Tri-Nations tournament 3 times. South Africa are currently ranked third on the IRB World Rankings List. The Springboks have won the IRB Rugby World Cup twice (in 1995 and 2007).  In case you forgot, the current Springbok coach is Heyneke Meyer (former coach of the Bulls) and the Springbok side is currently captained by Jean De Villiers. The whole of South Africa will have their eyes on the Springboks in this year Rugby Championship. Let’s hope our boys have what it takes in this year’s tournament.

Check out this list below featuring the complete 2012 Rugby Championship Schedule:

  • 18 August 2012 – Kick-off at 12:05 PM – Australia vs New Zealand – ANZ Stadium, Sydney
  • 18 August 2012 – Kick-off at 05:00 PM – South Africa vs Argentina – Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
  • 25 August 2012 – Kick-off at 09:35 AM – New Zealand vs Australia – Eden Park, Auckland
  • 25 August 2012 – Kick-off at 09:10 PM – Argentina vs South Africa – Estadio Malvinas, Mendoza
  • 08 September 2012 – Kick-off at 09:35 AM – New Zealand vs Argentina – Westpac Stadium, Wellington
  • 08 September 2012 – Kick-off at 12:35 PM – Australia vs South Africa – Patersons Stadium, Perth
  • 15 September 2012 – Kick-off at 09:35 AM – New Zealand vs South Africa – Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
  • 15 September 2012 – Kick-off at 12:05 PM – Australia vs Argentina – Skilled Park, Gold Coast
  • 29 September 2012 – Kick-off at 05:00 PM – South Africa vs Australia – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
  • 30 September 2012 – Kick-off at 01:10 AM – Argentina vs New Zealand – Estadio Ciudad, La Plata
  • 06 October 2012 – Kick-off at 05:00 PM – South Africa vs New Zealand – FNB Stadium, Soweto
  • 07 October 2012 – Kick-off at 01:10 AM – Argentina vs Australia – Gigante de arroyito, Rosario

Kick-off times are listed for the South African time zone. We trust that you will find this 2012 Rugby Championship Schedule useful. Share this post with your friends to spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is caring.

Did you know that Junk Mail has a Superbru Pool? For more details about this read our Junk Mail Superbru blog post.

If you’re looking for tickets to matches, you might want to check out our Event Tickets category on Junk Mail, you might find what you need.

Henno Kruger

Digital Marketing Campaign Coordinator at Junk Mail Publishing.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

fourteen − 4 =