Excitement building for Boks clash against the Barbarians in "The Bay"

The Boks again face the famous BaaBaas in their first match of the season - for the YesPlay Cup it was announced on Tuesday - in a repetition of a fixture that saw 45,000 fans packing into DHL Stadium in Cape Town last year.

The match will be preceded by the chance for fans to see South Africa's next best in action when SA 'A' take on Zimbabwe as a curtain-raiser to the main game in an action-packed day of rugby in the Bay.

With the best Under-20 talent in town for the SANZAAR Rugby Championship, kicking off on Monday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha is going rugby mad.

"I can't wait for the season to start and what better place than Gqeberha, where we've always enjoyed enormous support," said Erasmus.

"We've been told that the average attendance at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is over 95 percent of stadium capacity and we hope to see the stands packed out again this year when we welcome to BaaBaas to the game.

"They are coming to South Africa with an experienced and esteemed coaching team, and we know they will provide us with a proper test.

"At the same time, we're very excited to see the rest of our wider squad in action in a proper match when the SA 'A' team take on the Sables from Zimbabwe. They have qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and I'm sure it will be a great match."

The Springboks have never lost in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, winning eight of their nine Tests at this iconic venue, while one clash ended in a draw.

Last year, a crowd of 44,282 packed the stands to see a clinical Springbok performance as they beat Italy by 45-0.

After the BaaBaas clash, the Boks will host England, Scotland, and Wales in three Tests in the new Nations Championship in July, before they welcome the All Blacks for three Tests in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry, a new series that will play out every four years.

READ MORE: Ronald Brown: Hong Kong win no cause for complacency as Blitzboks refocus