| Home team | South Africa A |
| Away team | Zimbabwe |
| Venue | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
| Competition | Friendly |
| Kick off time | 11 am (UK and Ireland) |
South Africa A vs Zimbabwe preview as the sides meet in the first game of the double-header at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The game will give Rassie Erasmus and opportunity to see a wide variety of players ahead of the Rugby Nations Championship. Another Springboks side will play the Barbarians later in the day, with Bulls players unavailable due to being part of the URC Grand Final against Leinster.
Read more match previews for all your rugby action here
South Africa A vs Zimbabwe confirmed lineups
| South Africa A | Zimbabwe | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| Venter | 1 | Mupunga | |||
| Mnebelele | 2 | Mandioma | |||
| Fouche | 3 | Gwinji | |||
| V Tshituka | 4 | Nyakufaringwa | |||
| Van Heerden | 5 | Porter | |||
| M Tshituka | 6 | Siraha | |||
| Hlekani | 7 | Utete | |||
| Buthelezi | 8 | Mavesere | |||
| Backs | |||||
| Pead | 9 | Mudariki | |||
| Ahmed | 10 | Houston | |||
| Siyaya | 11 | Sigauke | |||
| Am | 12 | Mashawi | |||
| Muller | 13 | Mudzekenyedzi | |||
| Williams | 14 | Gurwe | |||
| Giliomee | 15 | Mafura | |||
| Replacements | |||||
| Van Wyk | 16 | Larkan | |||
| Reid | 17 | Visser | |||
| Jacobs | 18 | Kumbirai | |||
| Smith | 19 | Cooke | |||
| Mahashe | 20 | Gwashu | |||
| Steyn | 21 | Burnett | |||
| Khan | 22 | Joubert | |||
| Julius | 23 | Khumalo | |||
Recent Form:
South Africa A (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 17 November 2022 | Year-end Internationals | Bristol Bears | 18–26 |
| Loss | 10 November 2022 | Year-end Internationals | Munster | 14–28 |
| Loss | 17 July 2021 | 2021 Lions Tour Warm-ups | Bulls | 14–17 |
| Win | 14 July 2021 | 2021 Lions Tour Warm-ups | British & Irish Lions | 17–13 |
| Loss | 17 June 2016 | Mid-year Internationals | England Saxons | 26–29 |
The South Africa A team are a side that haven’t played a game since 2022.
Zimbabwe (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 19th July 2025 | Africa Gold Cup | Namibia | 28-30 |
| Won | 13th July 2025 | Africa Gold Cup | Kenya | 29-23 |
| Won | 8th July 2025 | Africa Gold Cup | Morocco | 43-8 |
| Won | 28th July 2024 | Africa Gold Cup | Algeria | 29-3 |
| Won | 20th July 2024 | Africa Gold Cup | Namibia | 10-32 |
Zimbabwe have won their last six internationals as they build up their preparations for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the Rugby Nations Cup this summer. Their last games came last July, when they won all three games in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup.
