WALES have announced a double header with England and will welcome world champions South Africa in preparation for next year’s World Cup.

Wayne Pivac’s side will face England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, August 5, before a return fixture at Twickenham a week later.

Wales will then return home on Saturday, August 19 to face the Springboks, who emerged victorious as Pivac’s side toured South Africa in July.

The England double header comes just months after the two teams face off in Cardiff in the Six Nations on February 25.

Wales will kick off their World Cup campaign in France against Fiji on September 10, and will also face Australia, Georgia, and the final qualifier – either the USA, Kenya, Portugal, or Hong Kong.

Tickets for Wales’ warm-up matches at the Principality Stadium are expected to go on public sale in the New Year.

“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,” said Pivac.

“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.”

“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,” said England head coach Eddie Jones. “It will be great preparation for the squad.”

And Springbok boss Jacques Nienaber said: “Wales have always proven to be tough competition for us and our results against them in the last few years are evidence of the quality of the side they are.

“The Rugby World Cup is one of the toughest competitions in the world, and you have to be at your best every week to reach the final, so it’s vital that we test ourselves against quality opposition in the lead-up to the competition.

“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.”