The All Blacks will play five home tests in the Rugby Championship and an extra Bledisloe Cup with the competition schedule unveiled today.
The All Blacks celebrate retaining the Bledisloe Cup in 2020. Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020
The Rugby Championship will include all four nations - New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Africa with the bulk of the matches played in Australia and New Zealand.
The world champion Springboks missed the competition last year, withdrawing from the tournament due to Covid-19.
The All Blacks have July tests against Tonga and Fiji before the opening Bledisloe Cup against the Wallabies at Eden Park on 7 August.
The second Bledisloe test and the side's first Rugby Championship game will be in Perth two weeks later with the third Bledisloe test a week after that in Wellington on 28 August.
September will then see four tests in a row for the All Blacks, with back-to-back Tests against Argentina, at Eden Park on Saturday 11 September and a week later in Wellington.
The following week the All Blacks play South Africa in Dunedin with that match being the 100th international between the two sides.
The first test between between the two countries was played in Dunedin in 1921, with the All Blacks winning 13-5.
The All Blacks' final Rugby Championship Test will be against South Africa in Auckland on 2 October.
There will also be four tests for the All Blacks on their northern hemisphere tour later in the year against Wales, Italy, Ireland and France making it the side's busiest schedule since 2017.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster Photo: Photosport
"It was a dramatically different year for us last year and we learned a lot about ourselves. This year we've been able to bring these lessons through into what will be a 'normal' year for the All Blacks, which is really, really exciting," said All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
"We'll also look forward to what we know will be a special 100th Test match against South Africa in Dunedin."
All Blacks Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup test schedule:
Saturday 7 August
All Blacks vs Australia, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland.
1st Bledisloe Cup test.
Saturday 21 August
Australia vs All Blacks, kick-off time TBC,Perth.
Rugby Championship test and 2nd Bledisloe.
Saturday 28 August
All Blacks vs Australia, 7.05pm, Sky Stadium, Wellington.
Rugby Championship and 3rd Bledisloe.
Saturday 11 September
All Blacks vs Argentina, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland.
Rugby Championship
Saturday 25 September
All Blacks vs South Africa, 7.05pm, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Rugby Championship and Centenary Test.
Saturday 2 October
South Africa vs All Blacks, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland.
Rugby Championship.