Connect with us

International

All Blacks stun Springboks with five-try triumph at Ellis Park

Published

on

All Blacks Will Jordan celebrates a try during the All Blacks v South Africa first test match, Rugbys Greatest Rivalry, Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, 22 August 2026. (Photo by Nic Bothma / action press)

The All Blacks produced a stunning second-half display to beat the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park in the first Test of the Greatest Rivalry series, surviving a ferocious scrum onslaught before running in five tries to one to take a 1-0 lead. It was New Zealand’s biggest winning margin at the famous Johannesburg ground and ended the Springboks’ 12-Test unbeaten run.

Key moments

2 mins – Roigard’s first box kick charged down by Eben Etzebeth, but the lock was offside. Love finds touch from the penalty. An early sign of the Springboks’ intent.

5 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Cheslin Kolbe kicks a penalty after Codie Taylor is penalised for dissent following a ruck infringement. (South Africa 3–0 All Blacks)

9 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Will Jordan squeezes over in the right corner after Cam Roigard fires a sharp flat pass to the short side from the base of a rolling maul. Roigard had earlier dummied before the All Blacks sent multiple forwards at the line. Love’s conversion misses from the touchline. (South Africa 3–5 All Blacks)

10 mins – Kurt-Lee Arendse forced off for HIA after a head clash with Josh Lord. Andre Esterhuizen replaces him, with Jesse Kriel moving to the wing.

14 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Andre Esterhuizen powers through Josh Moorby’s tackle to score. The replacement centre had only been on the park for minutes. Kolbe converts from the right. (South Africa 10–5 All Blacks)

23 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Josh Moorby scores after Tupou Vaa’i surges down the left touchline and dishes a brilliant one-handed offload inside. A set-piece move from a lineout that caught the Springboks cold. Love converts. (South Africa 10–12 All Blacks)

27 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Kolbe kicks a penalty after the All Blacks’ scrum is driven backwards, Ethan de Groot penalised for collapsing. The Springboks regain the lead. (South Africa 13–12 All Blacks)

35 mins – Marx denied by Barrett. The Springboks launch a rolling maul that rumbles towards the line, but Jordie Barrett gets a crucial hand in to dislodge the ball from Malcolm Marx’s grasp. Massive defensive play.

38 mins – De Groot and Lord leave the field after a sickening head-on-head collision between the two All Blacks. George Bower and Simon Parker replace them. Vaa’i shifts from blindside to lock.

Half-time: South Africa 13–12 All Blacks. The Springboks dominated territory and the scrum, driving the All Blacks backwards repeatedly and piling on the pressure. But the tourists defended heroically, conceded just one try, and struck clinically with their limited opportunities. The scrum was a major concern. Jordan and Moorby scored but the All Blacks lost two key forwards to HIA.

47 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Kolbe kicks a third penalty after yet another scrum penalty against George Bower. The Springboks extend their lead to four. (South Africa 16–12 All Blacks)

48 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Fabian Holland charges down Grant Williams’ clearing kick and regathers to score. A moment of individual brilliance that stunned Ellis Park and put the All Blacks back in front. Love converts. (South Africa 16–19 All Blacks)

50 mins – Fletcher Newell replaces Tyrel Lomax. The scrum begins to stabilise with the replacement front row of Bower, Aumua and Newell.

52-56 mins – Springboks lay siege. Multiple scrum penalties, a held-up try attempt from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and relentless forward drives. The All Blacks defend desperately on their own line.

56 mins – CRUCIAL SCRUM PENALTY ALL BLACKS: Fletcher Newell gets a strong shove on the tighthead side and the All Blacks are awarded a penalty from a 5m scrum. The turning point of the match. Love finds touch outside the 22.

58 mins – McKenzie breaks clear on a surging 40m run but Damian Willemse makes a try-saving tackle, knocking the ball backwards. Roigard slips at the crucial moment trying to ground the loose ball. All Blacks awarded a 5m scrum.

59 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Luke Jacobson scores from the base of the scrum after Savea surges off the short side. Roigard delivers a sharp flat pass to put Jacobson through Pieter-Steph du Toit’s tackle. Love converts. (South Africa 16–26 All Blacks)

70 mins – YELLOW CARD SOUTH AFRICA: Marco van Staden sin-binned for cynically playing the halfback with the All Blacks on the verge of scoring near the line.

71 mins – YELLOW CARD SOUTH AFRICA: Cobus Reinach sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown. The Springboks are down to 13 men.

75 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Will Jordan scores his second in the right corner after Savea floats a sublime pass from the back of a dominant scrum. Love converts from the touchline. (South Africa 16–33 All Blacks)

Full-time: South Africa 16–33 All Blacks


Tenacious, defiant, courageous — even those words barely do it justice. Amid a sea of green, against the vaunted back-to-back world champions at their spiritual home, the All Blacks burst the Springboks’ bubble with one of their greatest victories on South African soil. The 33-16 scoreline was New Zealand’s largest winning margin at Ellis Park, and it ended a run of 12 consecutive Springbok Test victories stretching back to September last year.

The match was fully representative of the 105-year rivalry between these two nations. For 55 minutes, South Africa’s power game dominated. The Springboks bullied the All Blacks at scrum time, won the collision battle, and pinned the tourists deep inside their own territory through a relentless aerial assault and their vaunted lineout drive. Yet for all their physical supremacy, they could not turn it into a game-winning points advantage. The All Blacks had only 41 per cent territory across the match but enjoyed 56 per cent possession while winning 14 turnovers to five. When it mattered most, New Zealand’s defence was immovable and their finishing was clinical.

“We were under the pump for a big chunk of that game,” head coach Dave Rennie said. “The amount of effort put into our defence and then our set piece, then we were really clinical. It was a tight game, a lot tighter than the score might suggest. Massive ticker and really proud.”

The much-feared Springbok scrum was devastating in the first half. Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax were driven backwards repeatedly, conceding penalties that allowed the hosts to establish territorial dominance. Cheslin Kolbe opened the scoring with a fourth-minute penalty after Taylor was penalised for dissent, and the chants of “Scrum! Scrum! Scrum!” from the 60,592 crowd underlined where South Africa believed the match would be won.

But the All Blacks struck with precision when given the slightest opening. After eight minutes, they drove a lineout inside the 22 before Cam Roigard dummied at the base and fired a flat pass in front of three All Blacks for Will Jordan to dive over in the right corner. Love’s touchline conversion drifted wide, but the tourists had drawn first blood. Roigard’s composure and speed of delivery were central to the All Blacks’ attacking threat throughout.

The Springboks replied in kind. Kurt-Lee Arendse was forced off for an HIA after a head clash with Josh Lord, bringing Andre Esterhuizen onto the field. The powerful replacement centre needed barely five minutes to make his mark, surging through Josh Moorby’s ineffective tackle to score and restore the hosts’ lead. Kolbe converted from the right for 10-5.

Moorby made amends eight minutes later with a try that captured the All Blacks at their inventive best. From a lineout on halfway, Jordie Barrett took the tackle in midfield before the ball was worked to the blindside. Barrett’s long pass found Tupou Vaa’i on the left touchline, and the big flanker surged forward before slipping a brilliant one-handed offload inside to Moorby, who escaped one tackle and ran 25 metres to score. Love’s conversion from the touchline edged the tourists ahead 12-10.

The lead lasted barely two minutes. Another scrum penalty, this time against de Groot for collapsing, presented Kolbe with a straightforward shot that he duly converted for 13-12. From there, the Springboks laid siege. Jasper Wiese, who ran for a game-high 63 metres, was a handful every time he touched the ball. Malcolm Marx looked certain to score from a lineout maul in the 35th minute, but Barrett produced the defensive play of the match, getting a crucial hand in to dislodge the ball from the hooker’s grasp on the tryline.

The All Blacks suffered a telling setback just before the break when Lord and de Groot clashed heads while attempting a tackle, forcing both from the field. George Bower and Simon Parker replaced them, with Vaa’i switching from blindside to lock. The tourists clung to a 13-12 deficit at half-time, relieved to have conceded just one try despite absorbing enormous pressure.

Kolbe extended the Springboks’ lead to 16-12 with a third penalty six minutes into the second half after another scrum penalty against Bower. Then came the moment that changed the match. From the restart, Grant Williams shaped to clear with a box kick from 15 metres out, but the towering figure of Fabian Holland got his levers up to smother the kick, regathered the ball and sidestepped Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to score. Love converted and the All Blacks led 19-16. Ellis Park fell silent.

“That mindset was important,” Rennie said of the second-half approach. “We wanted to hang on to the ball. There were opportunities in behind them. Off our turnover pill, we were using it pretty well. Then we were clinical. The set piece was massive in the end, the scrum came good and was a big part of our success.”

Holland’s try coincided with the introduction of Fletcher Newell at tighthead and Asafo Aumua at hooker — a move that not only relieved the scrum pressure but reversed it entirely. The Springboks, sensing their advantage was slipping, piled on the pressure. They won three consecutive scrum penalties inside the All Blacks’ 22, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu held up over the line and wave after wave of forward drives repelled by desperate defence. The home crowd bayed for a penalty try, but none came.

Then, in the 56th minute, came the turning point. From a 5m scrum on their own line — at the precise moment when conceding another penalty would almost certainly have meant a yellow card — Newell got a strong shove on the tighthead side and the All Blacks were awarded a penalty. The replacement front row of Bower, Aumua and Newell had conjured the moment that saved the match.

“The reserve front row that came on, I think we probably owe them a beer,” Roigard said. “We got a lot of energy from that.”

Bower, an unlikely hero who had not been in everyone’s predicted 23, was emotional afterwards. “Once that whistle blew and it registered that we’d won the Test match here at Ellis Park, I just got down and thanked the Lord first,” he said. “It’s not an easy place to win. You’re playing at altitude and have everything against you. What I liked about tonight is the boys stayed tight as a 23.”

From the scrum penalty, the All Blacks broke free. Jordan collected a high ball while retreating, before linking with Damian McKenzie, whose fizzing feet sparked a 40-metre breakout. McKenzie’s attempted offload was knocked backwards by Damian Willemse, and Roigard slipped at the crucial moment trying to ground the loose ball. The All Blacks were denied a score but were awarded a 5m scrum, and from it Savea surged off the short side before Roigard fired a sharp flat pass to Luke Jacobson, who burst through Pieter-Steph du Toit’s tackle to score. Love converted and the All Blacks led 26-16 with 20 minutes remaining.

The Springboks’ discipline collapsed in the final quarter. Marco van Staden was sin-binned in the 70th minute for cynically playing the halfback with the All Blacks metres from the line. Moments later, Cobus Reinach was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown, reducing the hosts to 13 men. With the numerical advantage, the All Blacks called for a scrum — a delicious irony given the first-half dynamics — and Savea floated a sublime pass from the base to send Jordan over in the right corner for his second. Love converted from the touchline and the match was sealed at 33-16.

“It means everything,” Jordan said after being named man of the match. “Ellis Park, what an arena. A serious shift of 80 minutes. I loved the way our boys dug deep. Some guys playing the Springboks for the first time got a taste of what it’s like. We should be proud of our whole group. It’s just one of four, but an awesome start to the series.”

Captain Ardie Savea, playing his first match of the tour after two weeks’ rest in New Zealand, was emotional as he acknowledged the All Blacks supporters dotted around the ground. “I’m really proud of my boys’ efforts,” Savea said. “It was a boxing match out there. It came down to crucial moments and we loved it in there when it was tight.”

Beaten captain Pieter-Steph du Toit was characteristically direct. “They were better than us,” du Toit said. “We made some mistakes and weren’t able to convert those opportunities we had. We shot ourselves in the foot. In a game like this, small errors count.”

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus did not mince his words, acknowledging the result was “ugly” but framing it in the context of previous Springbok setbacks. “We have been in many catastrophic situations in our lives,” Erasmus said. “We lost the first Test against the British and Irish Lions and everyone said it was a catastrophe. We lost the first pool game against New Zealand in the World Cup and everyone said that was catastrophic. We’re now in a position where if we want to win the series we have to win three games on the trot. I wouldn’t say it’s catastrophic because there is a way out, and that’s winning three matches on the trot.”

Erasmus pointed to the 56th-minute scrum penalty as the key moment but was clear-eyed about the broader failures. “We didn’t play well. Against a class team like New Zealand, if you don’t convert, they give you a proper hiding. There were a lot of things we didn’t convert; I think there were two or three big moments when we let the game go away from us.”

Rennie, for his part, was wary of the response coming in Cape Town. “Nothing in that game was easy, and while the scoreline may sound convincing it was an absolute arm wrestle that could have gone any way,” he said. “The boys defended and defended and when we got our opportunities, we were clinical. It was a great result for us, but we are wary of the response we are going to get next week.”

There are injury concerns for both sides heading into the second Test. De Groot and Lord are almost certain to miss with their head knocks, while the Springboks lost Arendse to a failed HIA and Kolbe limped off before the final quarter. The All Blacks face the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday before the second Test in Cape Town next Saturday. One win does not define a series, but with this display of resilience and clinical finishing, the All Blacks — now the world’s number one ranked side — have sent a message that will reverberate across the remaining three Tests.

Teams

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.

All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Simon Parker, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Leroy Carter.

Match details

South Africa 16 (Try: Esterhuizen; Conversion: Kolbe 1/1; Penalties: Kolbe 3/3)
All Blacks 33 (Tries: Jordan 2, Moorby, Holland, Jacobson; Conversions: Love 4/5)
Half-time: 13–12 (South Africa)

Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Attendance: 60,592
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Man of the match: Will Jordan (All Blacks)

International

Springboks seal RGR series with Baltimore blitz over All Blacks

Published

on

Springboks seal RGR series with Baltimore blitz over All Blacks
South Africa with the trophy during All Blacks v South Africa, Rugbys Greatest Rivalry Tour, Baltimore, USA, 13 September 2026. (Photo by Jack Megaw / action press)

The Springboks clinched Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 3-1, overwhelming the All Blacks 43-28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in the first meeting between the two rivals on American soil. Six tries to four in front of a record US rugby crowd sealed the most emphatic and expansive victory of the series, confirming the world champions’ supremacy at the end of a tour that captivated the sport.

Key moments

3 mins – PENALTY SOUTH AFRICA: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicks an early penalty after the All Blacks are penalised at the breakdown. (South Africa 3–0 All Blacks)

9 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Codie Taylor scores after Cam Roigard throws a long pass across the goal-line from a ruck. Taylor’s 24th Test try — an All Blacks hooker record, passing Dane Coles. McKenzie converts. (South Africa 3–7 All Blacks)

14 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Damian de Allende powers over from close range after a 10-phase surge into the All Blacks’ 22. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converts. (South Africa 10–7 All Blacks)

~18 mins – TMO COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN. Play is suspended for approximately 10 minutes after the referee loses communication with the Television Match Official. Both captains agree to continue without TMO involvement unless foul play occurs.

22 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Morne van den Berg sells a dummy and darts over from close range. The scrumhalf converts his own try. (South Africa 17–7 All Blacks)

~38 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Will Jordan enters the line from the right wing and races in beside the posts, capping a remarkable 32-phase sequence that sapped the Springbok defence. The move began from a front-of-the-lineout play after South Africa conceded a scrum penalty. McKenzie converts. (South Africa 17–14 All Blacks)

Half-time: South Africa 17–14 All Blacks. The Springboks led through de Allende and van den Berg after a dominant first quarter, but the All Blacks fought back through Taylor’s record try and Jordan’s score from a magnificent 32-phase build-up. A 10-minute TMO breakdown embarrassed the showcase event. The Springboks’ scrum and breakdown superiority was again evident.

48 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Malcolm Marx scores from a rolling lineout maul after the Springboks win a scrum penalty and kick to the corner. Manie Libbok converts. (South Africa 24–14 All Blacks)

51 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Pieter-Steph du Toit barges over after Feinberg-Mngomezulu breaks into the All Blacks’ 22 from a scrum and the Springbok forwards batter through. Libbok converts. (South Africa 31–14 All Blacks)

~55 mins – Roigard tackled without the ball. The halfback is taken out after kicking through to the Springbok line. TMO reviews but finds Roigard was offside at the preceding ruck. Penalty reversed. Frustration mounts for the All Blacks.

~63 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Ethan Blackadder scores his first Test try after a lineout drive and Roigard’s charge around a ruck creates the opening. McKenzie converts. (South Africa 31–21 All Blacks)

71 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Kurt-Lee Arendse swoops on a loose ball after a Moorby tackle incident and races more than 50 metres to score. A devastating counterattack. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converts. (South Africa 38–21 All Blacks)

75 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Cameron Hanekom powers over after taking the ball from Jordan, who had scrambled back in cover. The replacement flanker seals the series. Unconverted. (South Africa 43–21 All Blacks)

80 mins – TRY ALL BLACKS: Beauden Barrett crosses for a consolation score in the final minute. McKenzie converts. (South Africa 43–28 All Blacks)

Full-time: South Africa 43–28 All Blacks. Series: South Africa 3–1.


This wasn’t the suffocating, grinding Springbok rugby that had characterised the second and third Tests. This was champagne stuff — expansive, electric and utterly ruthless. South Africa mixed power with panache, combining their traditional forward dominance with a willingness to give the ball air that had the All Blacks’ defence scrambling and the Baltimore crowd roaring its approval. When Siya Kolisi hoisted the Greatest Rivalry trophy aloft after it was presented by Dan Carter and Schalk Burger, few could argue it had gone to the wrong side.

The All Blacks, true to their free-flowing blueprint, moved the ball with typical slickness and crossed four times themselves, but on this intoxicating Baltimore evening they had no answer to a rampant Springbok side firing on all cylinders. The Springboks made 11 line breaks and played with the freedom of a team given licence to cut loose by a coach who knew his side could not lose the series. Rassie Erasmus had done it again.

“I thought it was epic,” Erasmus said. “The whole series so far has been epic, and they can draw it in Baltimore. But we wanted to finish it properly.”

The All Blacks’ penalty problems surfaced immediately. Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked a third-minute penalty, and from there the Springboks established the tempo that would define the match. But the tourists struck back in the ninth minute when Cam Roigard, sharp and direct throughout his 80 minutes, threw a long pass across the goal-line from a ruck for captain Codie Taylor to score. In doing so, Taylor claimed his 24th Test try — the most by any All Blacks hooker, overtaking Dane Coles’s long-standing record. McKenzie converted.

The lead was short-lived. The Springboks launched a 10-phase surge into the All Blacks’ 22 and, from a ruck close to the line, Damian de Allende powered over for his fourth try of the series. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted for 10-7. Then came an extraordinary interruption: the referee lost communication with the Television Match Official, suspending play for approximately ten minutes. Both captains agreed to continue without TMO involvement unless foul play occurred — an embarrassing episode for a match being showcased to a new American audience.

When play resumed, the Springboks pressed their advantage. Josh Moorby was controversially penalised for an offence while attempting to place the ball in a tackle, gifting the hosts field position. From the resulting lineout, man-of-the-match Morne van den Berg cut back against the grain and darted over to score. The scrumhalf then converted his own try — the second time in the series he had done so — for 17-7.

The All Blacks’ response was their finest passage of play in the match. After South Africa conceded a scrum penalty, Taylor found his jumper at the front of the lineout and set in motion a 32-phase movement that sapped the Springboks’ defence. Surge after surge was absorbed before the ball was moved to the backs, and Jordan — entering the line from his right wing — raced in beside the posts. McKenzie converted, and the tourists went to the break trailing by just three at 17-14.

Whatever hope that stirred evaporated within six minutes of the restart. The Springboks scored two tries in three minutes to blow the match apart. First, a scrum penalty gave them the chance to kick to the corner, and from the lineout their maul — that terrifying, irresistible weapon — drove the All Blacks backwards before Marx peeled off to score. Libbok converted for 24-14. From the restart, the Springboks won a scrum and Feinberg-Mngomezulu broke into the All Blacks’ 22 before du Toit drove over from close range. Libbok converted again and at 31-14, the series was over as a contest.

“We were confident that if we got a few things right tonight we’d have a good chance of winning,” Rennie said. “We fell short. It’s disappointing from that perspective.”

The All Blacks’ frustrations multiplied. Roigard kicked through to the Springbok line only to be taken out without the ball — a penalty seemed certain, but the TMO discovered Roigard was offside at the preceding ruck and the decision was reversed. Moorby was then denied a favourable ruling after taking a tackle that wasn’t ruled early. Richie Mo’unga, starting his first Test since the 2023 World Cup final, kicked for the corner and from the lineout Blackadder — busy, abrasive and tireless throughout — scored his first Test try. McKenzie converted for 31-21 and briefly the All Blacks sensed a comeback.

Arendse killed it stone dead. In the 71st minute, the ball bounced loose after the controversial Moorby tackle incident and the Springbok flyer swooped on it, accelerating from inside his own half on a devastating 50-metre run to score under the posts. It was the try of the match and the moment that sealed the series in emphatic fashion. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted. Replacement flanker Cameron Hanekom added a sixth four minutes later, powering over after taking the ball from Jordan, who had scrambled back in cover.

Beauden Barrett, the 144-cap veteran who had been introduced from the bench, crossed for a consolation in the final minute that McKenzie converted, but the 43-28 scoreline — the largest winning margin of the series — told the story of South African dominance. The try count across four Tests finished 20-18 in the All Blacks’ favour, yet the Springboks won the series 3-1 — a testament to their ability to win the decisive moments through set-piece power, breakdown dominance and the relentless physicality of their bench rotation.

Rennie was honest in defeat. “Yeah, look, the boys put in a massive shift again,” he said. “You look at all the numbers, and everything’s very even, but they were electric, and when they got their opportunities, and we were trying to chase the game late, we put ourselves under a bit more pressure.” On the breakdown discipline that conceded crucial penalties, he was blunt: “Yeah, it’s not good enough. It just does not affect the game either. But it’s dumb.”

The head coach maintained perspective on a tour that had tested his squad to its limits. “We’ve had a captured audience of what turned out to be 49 players,” Rennie said. “I thought the set piece was excellent tonight — scrum and lineout were a real positive. When we get our continuity going, we’re going to score tries. We’re tracking in the right direction, but we’ve got to close the gap and we know that.”

Mo’unga, playing his first Test in three years, labelled the 2026 Springboks a “complete team” and acknowledged the gulf the All Blacks need to bridge before the likely World Cup quarter-final meeting next year. Jordie Barrett was again outstanding at inside centre — arguably the All Blacks’ most consistently excellent player across the entire tour — while Blackadder, Jordan and Peter Lakai all enhanced their reputations in a losing cause.

Taylor, captaining for the final time on tour, hoped the Baltimore crowd took something from the occasion. “I hope American fans left understanding how exciting rugby can be,” the hooker said. Rennie echoed the sentiment: “They obviously love their sports, and they got right behind rugby. I would have liked to see a few more black jerseys, but obviously there’s a lot of South Africans over here.”

The Greatest Rivalry Tour is over. Across eight matches and seven weeks, the All Blacks used 49 players, scored 49 tries, won five of eight fixtures and lost the Test series 3-1 after winning the opener. They return to New Zealand battered, bruised and wiser — with a Bledisloe Cup and a European tour still ahead before the World Cup. The Springboks, meanwhile, have now won everything there is to win. They head to Australia in 2027 as the team to beat, their greatness no longer debatable. As Erasmus said in Cape Town: they are the benchmark. And as Baltimore showed, the gap between benchmark and challenger remains stubbornly difficult to close.

Teams

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Manie Libbok.

All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor (c), 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Rieko Ioane, 23 Beauden Barrett.

Match details

South Africa 43 (Tries: de Allende, van den Berg, Marx, du Toit, Arendse, Hanekom; Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2/3, van den Berg 1/1, Libbok 2/2; Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 1/1)
All Blacks 28 (Tries: Taylor, Jordan, Blackadder, Barrett; Conversions: McKenzie 4/4)
Half-time: 17–14 (South Africa)

Venue: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Attendance: Record US rugby crowd
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Man of the match: Morne van den Berg (South Africa)
Series result: South Africa 3–1

Greatest Rivalry series result

First Test, Ellis Park, Johannesburg: South Africa 16–33 All Blacks
Second Test, DHL Stadium, Cape Town: South Africa 33–26 All Blacks
Third Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg: South Africa 29–24 All Blacks
Fourth Test, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore: South Africa 43–28 All Blacks
Series: South Africa 3–1

Continue Reading

International

Mo’unga gets the call in revamped All Blacks for Baltimore finale

Published

on

Mo’unga gets the call in revamped All Blacks for Baltimore finale
All Blacks Richie Mo'unga during the All Blacks v Lions match, Rugbys Greatest Rivalry, Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, 25 August 2026. (Photo by Anton Geyser / action press)

Dave Rennie has made sweeping changes for the fourth and final Test against the Springboks at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, with Richie Mo’unga handed his first Test start since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final and Ethan Blackadder earning his first in more than two years. Codie Taylor captains a revamped side that must win to prevent the Springboks claiming the Greatest Rivalry series outright.

Key squad news:

  • Richie Mo’unga earns his first Test start since the 2023 World Cup final; Ruben Love dropped from the 23
  • Codie Taylor captains the All Blacks in the absence of the injured Ardie Savea
  • Ethan Blackadder makes his first Test start in more than two years at openside flanker
  • Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord return after clearing concussion protocols from the first Test
  • Five changes to the starting XV; Newell, Tuipulotu, Lienert-Brown also start
  • Fabian Holland unavailable due to illness
  • All Blacks must win to draw the series 2-2

The changes are driven by necessity and opportunity. Ardie Savea (dislocated shoulder), Luke Jacobson (elbow tendon) and Quinn Tupaea (MCL) were all injured in the third Test defeat in Soweto, while Fabian Holland has been ruled out through illness. Their absence, combined with the return of Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord — who have cleared World Rugby’s concussion protocols after the sickening first Test collision — has prompted a significant reshuffle.

Mo’unga’s selection at first five-eighth is the headline talking point. The 56-cap playmaker replaces Ruben Love, who drops out of the matchday 23 entirely after starting all three Tests in the series. It is Mo’unga’s first Test start since the one-point World Cup final defeat to these same Springboks in Paris three years ago, completing a remarkable journey from three seasons in Japanese club rugby back to the international arena.

“Richie has been patient and professional since arriving on tour,” Rennie said. “He’s earned this opportunity. His vision, his decision-making and his ability to run a game at the highest level are exactly what we need in a match of this magnitude.”

Blackadder’s inclusion at openside is a reward for his extraordinary tour. The Crusaders flanker’s two-try, 16-carry display against the Lions was the standout individual performance of the franchise matches, and he has been unlucky not to feature in a Test matchday squad until now. He forms a new-look loose forward trio with Tupou Vaa’i, who shifts from lock to blindside, and Peter Lakai at number eight.

The front row sees de Groot return at loosehead alongside Taylor and Fletcher Newell, who replaces Tyrel Lomax at tighthead for his first Test start of the series. Lomax provides impact from the bench. Patrick Tuipulotu partners Sam Darry — the only forward to start in the same position as the third Test — in a second-row combination that offers a different profile from the Holland-Vaa’i and Holland-Darry pairings used earlier in the series. Lord’s return from concussion protocols means he can provide lock cover from the reserves.

In the backs, Anton Lienert-Brown replaces the injured Tupaea at outside centre alongside Jordie Barrett, while Josh Moorby comes onto the left wing. Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie are retained, with Rieko Ioane and Leroy Carter providing outside back cover on the bench.

Taylor, who captained the All Blacks for the first time against the Bulls earlier on tour, takes the armband for the biggest match of his 111-cap career. “It’s a huge honour to captain the All Blacks in a Test match of this magnitude,” Taylor said. “We’re desperate to get a result. The boys are hurting after last week and we know what’s at stake.”

Barrett dismissed any suggestion the All Blacks might be mentally or physically spent after seven weeks on tour. “We’ve still got a lot to play for,” Barrett said. “We came here to win a series and while that’s no longer possible, sharing it is the next best thing. We owe it to ourselves and everyone back home to finish this tour the right way.”

The match marks the first time the All Blacks and Springboks have met on American soil. M&T Bank Stadium, the 70,257-capacity home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, will host the sixth All Blacks Test played in the United States, following matches in Chicago, Washington DC and San Diego. Baltimore is a candidate city for the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

The series stands at 2-1 in the Springboks’ favour. A New Zealand victory would see each nation retain one half of the Greatest Rivalry trophy in a drawn series. Defeat would confirm the first series loss for an All Blacks touring side in South Africa since 1976 and hand the Springboks both halves of the silverware.

“This is why you play rugby,” Rennie said. “A deciding Test match against the best team in the world in front of 70,000 people. We know the Boks will be desperate to finish it here, but so are we. We’ve shown throughout this tour that we can beat anyone when we’re at our best. Now we need to deliver the performance of the tour.”

All Blacks team for the fourth Test

M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore. Saturday 12 September, kick-off 5pm local time (Sunday 13 September, 9am NZT).

1. Ethan de Groot (44 caps), 2. Codie Taylor (c) (111), 3. Fletcher Newell (39), 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (58), 5. Sam Darry (11), 6. Tupou Vaa’i (50), 7. Ethan Blackadder (15), 8. Peter Lakai (13), 9. Cam Roigard (23), 10. Richie Mo’unga (56), 11. Josh Moorby (4), 12. Jordie Barrett (84), 13. Anton Lienert-Brown (92), 14. Will Jordan (60), 15. Damian McKenzie (80).

Reserves: 16. Asafo Aumua (25), 17. Xavier Numia (4), 18. Tyrel Lomax (54), 19. Josh Lord (16), 20. Wallace Sititi (22), 21. Kyle Preston (4), 22. Rieko Ioane (89), 23. Leroy Carter (10).

Continue Reading

International

Springboks make two changes for Baltimore Test against All Blacks

Published

on

Springboks make two changes for Baltimore Test against All Blacks
South Africa Damian Willemse is tackled by All Blacks George Bower during the All Blacks v South Africa second test match, Rugbys Greatest Rivalry, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa, Saturday, 29 August 2026. (Photo by Nic Bothma / action press)

Rassie Erasmus has made just two changes to the Springbok starting XV for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series decider against the All Blacks at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, sending the clearest possible signal that he intends to go for the kill and clinch a 3-1 series victory on American soil.

Key team news:

  • Damian Willemse returns at fullback in place of the injured Cheslin Kolbe, who broke his jaw in the third Test and has remained in South Africa
  • Morne van den Berg earns his first start of the series at scrum-half, with Cobus Reinach dropping to the bench
  • The forward pack is unchanged for the third consecutive Test
  • A Springbok victory would seal a 3-1 series win; an All Blacks victory would draw the series
  • Eben Etzebeth extends his record as the most capped Springbok to 146 Tests
  • The loose trio of Kolisi, du Toit and Wiese will start together for a record 19th time
  • It is the first Springbok Test in history to be played in Baltimore
  • Kick-off is at 23:00 SA time (17:00 EDT)

The decision to retain the same matchday squad with only injury-enforced and form-based adjustments is a statement of intent from Erasmus. Having won the second and third Tests to take a 2-1 lead, the Springbok coach is backing the combinations that turned the series around rather than rotating for the finale.

“We feel that the team is well settled and all the players delivered in their respective roles in the last two matches, so we believe selecting the same matchday squad, and naming Damian back in his regular position, makes sense for the closing match of the series,” Erasmus said. “These players also know exactly what to expect from a very determined All Blacks team, who will give everything to draw the series this weekend.”

Willemse’s return is straightforward. The fullback started the first two Tests before a hamstring injury ruled him out in Cape Town, with Kolbe deputising superbly at 15 across the second and third matches. Kolbe’s broken jaw, sustained at FNB Stadium, has ended his series and he was among six players who remained in South Africa as the squad flew to the United States.

“Damian started the first two Tests and had it not been for a niggle last week, he would have also started that match, so it’s good to have him back,” Erasmus said. “He is a quality player, and he knows the guys around him very well, so it will simply be a matter of him picking up where he left off before last week.”

The more intriguing selection is van den Berg’s promotion ahead of Reinach. The Lions scrum-half made a telling impact off the bench in the third Test and Erasmus was effusive in his praise. “Morne made a fantastic impact when he took the field last week, and he deserves a chance to start, so Cobus switches to the bench where he will add experience and skill in this vital match,” the Springbok coach said.

He expanded on van den Berg’s journey to this point. “He’s not a youngster. I think he’s 27 or something like that already, so he’s not a youngster to break through. But we’ve always tracked him, and I think he’s just been unfortunate with injuries and also some really good nines that played ahead of him or got opportunities ahead of him,” Erasmus said. “After his last injury, we thought it was going to be a tough year for him to get back into the mix, but he really did his rehab really well, and he’s back to full fitness. I think last week when he got his opportunity, he really did well, and we think he deserves a start.”

The forward pack is unchanged for the third week running. Nche, Marx and Louw continue in the front row, Etzebeth and Nortje in the second row, and captain Kolisi, du Toit and Wiese in a loose trio that will extend its own record to 19 Test starts together. Etzebeth stretches his all-time caps mark to 146, while Wiese needs just one more appearance after this match to reach 50 caps.

In the backline, Feinberg-Mngomezulu starts at fly-half for a fifth consecutive Test, with Arendse and Hooker on the wings and de Allende and Kriel continuing their settled midfield partnership. The bench is also unchanged from the third Test — Fourie, Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, de Jager, Esterhuizen and Hanekom as the six forward replacements, with Reinach and Libbok the two specialist backs.

Erasmus confirmed that Handre Pollard, who has missed the last three Tests with a calf injury, is fit again and will likely feature against Australia in Perth on 27 September — the one-off Test the squad will travel to directly from Baltimore. Franco Mostert is also expected to return for that fixture.

Saturday’s match will be the first Springbok Test in Baltimore and only the fourth in the United States. South Africa have played three previous Tests on American soil — victories over the USA in 1981 and 2001, and a narrow 22-20 defeat to Wales in Washington DC in 2018, which was Erasmus’s first match in charge as head coach. The 2031 Rugby World Cup will be hosted in the USA, lending additional significance to high-profile fixtures on American soil.

Erasmus was blunt about the stakes. “If we don’t win, then we have achieved nothing,” he said.

He expected the All Blacks, who have lost Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea to series-ending injuries from the third Test, to come out swinging regardless. “We have faced the All Blacks three weeks in a row, and just like us, they are a proud team who showed last week that they will never stop fighting until the final whistle, so we are under no illusions about the magnitude of the challenge ahead this weekend,” Erasmus said.

“That said, we are equally determined to finish the series strongly and give everything to lift the trophy, and the players are excited about the match. We have no doubt that it’s going to be another epic encounter that will require a full-blown 80-minute effort on attack and defence.”

Springboks:
15. Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers, 54 caps)
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars, 34 caps)
13. Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles, 93 caps)
12. Damian de Allende (Wild Knights, 102 caps)
11. Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 12 caps)
10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers, 23 caps)
9. Morne van den Berg (Lions, 9 caps)
8. Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks, 48 caps)
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz, 101 caps)
6. Siya Kolisi (c) (DHL Stormers, 106 caps)
5. Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears, 23 caps)
4. Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 145 caps)
3. Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers, 34 caps)
2. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears, 92 caps)
1. Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 51 caps)

Replacements:
16. Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers, 15 caps)
17. Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls, 22 caps)
18. Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 36 caps)
19. Lood de Jager (Wild Knights, 76 caps)
20. Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks, 34 caps)
21. Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls, 5 caps)
22. Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers, 56 caps)
23. Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners, 33 caps)

Match details: South Africa v New Zealand, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore. Saturday 12 September (Saturday 13 September NZT), 17:00 EDT / 23:00 SA time. Live on SuperSport.

Continue Reading

Trending

Discover more from Rugby News, Results, and Analysis | Rugby is the Game

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading