Cape Town - The Southern Hemisphere's pre-eminent international competition gets underway on Friday, July 17 when the three-time winners of The Rugby Championship, the All Blacks, host Argentina in Christchurch while the Wallabies and Springboks lock horns in Brisbane the following night.
The condensed three-round championship sees teams face each other once, with a champion to be crowned on August 8, before a stand-alone round serves as final preparation for September's much-anticipated Rugby World Cup.
The full draw, including venues and kick-off times is now available with the exception of the Argentina v South Africa clash on August 15 which will take place in Buenos Aires at a stadium to be confirmed by Unión Argentina de Rugby in the coming weeks.
The first match - a Friday night battle between New Zealand and Argentina - will serve as AMI Stadium's debut match in The Rugby Championship, although the temporary Addington, Christchurch venue has previously hosted the All Blacks on two prior occasions (a 22-19 victory over Ireland in 2012 and a 30-0 whitewash of France in 2013).
Brisbane meanwhile has proven a happy hunting ground for Australia with the Wallabies beating the Springboks on seven of eight occasions at Suncorp Stadium with their only blemish being a 38-12 defeat to the South Africans in September 2013.
The Rugby Championship commences a fortnight after the Super Rugby Final on July 4 with the last round of matches concluding on August 15, giving teams just over a month before launching their Rugby World Cup campaigns.
The 2015 Rugby Championship schedule (All times CAT):
Round 1:
Friday, July 17: New Zealand v Argentina – AMI Stadium, Christchurch - 09:35
Saturday, July 18: Australia v South Africa – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - 12:05
Round 2:
Saturday, July 25: South Africa v New Zealand – Ellis Park, Johannesburg - 17:05
Sunday, July 26: Argentina v Australia – Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza - 00:40
Round 3:
Saturday, August 8: Australia v New Zealand – ANZ Stadium, Sydney - 12:05
Saturday, August 8: South Africa v Argentina – Kings Park, Durban - 17:05
Additional week (not for competition points):
Saturday, August 15: New Zealand v Australia – Eden Park, Auckland - 09:35
Saturday, August 15: Argentina v South Africa – Venue TBC, Buenos Aires - TBC