The All Blacks' Rugby Championship campaign will begin against the Wallabies in Australia.
Newshub understands the first of three Bledisloe Cup tests will kick off the tournament, which returns to its usual four teams, after the Springboks' COVID-enforced absence last year.
As reported by Newshub in April, the tournament will be hosted across both Australia and New Zealand, with the trans-Tasman bubble allowing matches to be played in both countries.
August 14 shapes as the most likely start date for the competition, which will likely run for seven weeks until early October, with Auckland's Eden Park and Wellington's Sky Stadium firming as the most likely venues for the All Blacks home fixtures.
The next All Blacks and Springboks test will be the 100th between the two traditional rivals, which - coincidentally - also marks the 100th year since their first.
That 1921 test was played in Dunedin, but it seems Eden Park is the preferred venue for the occasion.
The official Rugby Championship schedule was due to be released on Wednesday, until late changes to Argentina's travel schedule delayed the announcement until Friday.
