Wales announce three summer matches and play England…

Wales announce three summer matches and play England three times in six months

Wales will play England twice and host reigning world champions South Africa next summer in their 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-ups, it has been announced.

Wayne Pivac's Wales will first host old rivals England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, August 5, before heading down the M4 for the return fixture at Twickenham a week later on August 12. It means they will play their biggest rivals at least three times in 2023, with the annual Six Nations clash scheduled for February 25 in Cardiff.

Wales will then round off their World Cup preparations against the Springboks in Cardiff on Saturday, August 19.

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Wales face Australia, Fiji, Georgia and one other team in the pool stages, with England playing Argentina, Japan, Samoa and Chile. South Africa face Scotland, Ireland, Tonga and Romania in the group stages. The remaining pool will see the All Blacks, France, Italy, Uruguay and Namibia go up against each other.

Tickets for the matches at the Principality Stadium are set to go on public sale early next year, but buying from local rugby clubs is the recommended option.

Prior to the warm-up encounters, Wales will be together in camp in June and July to prepare for the trip to France.

"With less than a year to go until Rugby World Cup 2023 we have a clear programme set out for the squad in readiness for the tournament," Wales men's head coach Wayne Pivac said.

"I’m pleased we are able to confirm warm-up matches against England - home and away - and at home against South Africa as part of this. These three matches are a key element of our final Rugby World Cup preparations and we look forward to seeing as many fans as possible at them before the squad departs for France."

England boss Eddie Jones said: "We’re very fortunate to have such a tough opponent in Wales and to play them both home and away, along with the atmosphere we always experience in Cardiff. It will be great preparation for the squad."

As for the Springboks, head coach Jacques Nienaber said he is looking forward to test his side so close to defending their title.

"It's vital that we test ourselves against quality opposition in the lead-up to the competition," he said. "With Wales being in the top 10 in the world and the team holding a good win record against us in Cardiff in the last few seasons, we have no doubt this will be a strong character test and fantastic preparation for us going into the World Cup."