In 2026 the traditional Rugby Championship will be on hiatus, but fans will still be treated to a nostalgic, high‑profile tour as New Zealand’s All Blacks travel to South Africa for an eight‑match extravaganza, including four full‑blown Test matches against the Springboks, all broadcast live on Sky Sports. Marketed in both countries as the "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour," the series is designed to celebrate more than a century of competition between the two most successful rugby nations in the world.
So far the All Blacks have dispatched the Stormers (21‑38 in Cape Town), the Sharks (0‑54 in Durban) and the Bulls (19‑50 in Pretoria). The four Test encounters are scheduled for August 22, August 29, September 5 and September 12, with the final match taking place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA. The itinerary also features a mid‑tour game against the British & Irish Lions on August 25 in Johannesburg.
The rivalry dates back to August 13, 1921, when the Springboks arrived in New Zealand for a three‑Test series. The All Blacks won the opening match 13‑5 at Carisbrook, but South Africa answered with a 9‑5 victory at Eden Park a week later, and the series concluded with a 0‑0 draw in Wellington, leaving the tally at one win each. Since that inaugural clash, the two sides have met in roughly 110 Test matches.
The All Blacks have edged ahead with 63 wins, the Springboks have claimed 43, and four games have ended level. Home‑and‑away statistics underline the balance of power. In South Africa, the hosts have won 28 of the 54 Tests played there, New Zealand has taken 25, and one match was drawn.
In New Zealand, the All Blacks have been even more dominant, winning 34 of the 48 Tests on home soil, while the Springboks have managed 11 victories and three draws. World Cup encounters have added further drama.
South Africa have bested New Zealand in two finals – the iconic 1995 showdown in Johannesburg and the 2023 final in France – and also knocked the All Blacks out in the 1999 third‑place playoff. Conversely, New Zealand have eliminated the Springboks in the 2015 semi‑final, the 2003 quarter‑final and the 2023 pool stage. After the 1921 series, the teams met again in 1927 when New Zealand toured South Africa.
That series finished 2‑2, with each nation taking two wins. The Boks then enjoyed a period of dominance, winning the 1937 tour in New Zealand 2‑1 and sweeping a home series in 1949 4‑0.
New Zealand reclaimed the initiative in 1956 with a 3‑1 home series win, but South Africa responded in 1960 by winning a home series 2‑1. The rivalry was profoundly affected by South Africa’s apartheid regime (1948‑1994).
The government’s policy of racial segregation extended to sport, leading to the exclusion of Māori players from New Zealand squads on tours to South Africa and sparking massive protests, most notably during the 1960 tour. International isolation followed: South Africa was barred from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, expelled from the IOC in 1970, and excluded from many other global competitions. Rugby was one of the last sports to impose sanctions, allowing a handful of tours to proceed amid growing controversy.
In 1965 the Springboks toured New Zealand, winning three of four Tests. The anti‑racist group Halt All Racist Tours was founded in 1969 to oppose further contacts. The All Blacks returned to South Africa in 1970 and lost the series 3‑1. A planned 1973 tour of New Zealand was cancelled, but the two nations still faced each other in 1976 (South Africa winning 3‑1 at home) and in the highly contentious 1981 tour of New Zealand, which the All Blacks won 2‑1 amid widespread civil disobedience, pitch invasions and even flour‑bomb attacks on the field.
The 1985 series was called off after New Zealand courts ruled that a South African tour would be incompatible with the NZRFU’s stated purpose of promoting rugby. The Springboks missed the first two Rugby World Cups (1987, 1991), and a rebel side – the New Zealand Cavaliers – toured South Africa in 1986, leading to bans for several players.
With the dismantling of apartheid, South Africa re‑entered the international arena. In 1992 the two sides met again at Ellis Park, with the Springboks pulling off a narrow 27‑24 win.
Nelson Mandela’s election in 1994 ushered in a new era of national unity, and South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Despite being ranked ninth, the Springboks stunned the world by defeating the heavily favoured All Blacks 15‑12 in the final, a match still shrouded in speculation about a possible food‑poisoning incident that left many All Blacks players ill. The following year, New Zealand toured South Africa and, after already clinching the inaugural 1996 Tri‑Nations, secured a 2‑0 series win (23‑19 in Durban, 33‑26 in Pretoria) before a third Test was rendered moot. The All Blacks then embarked on an unbeaten run against the Boks from 2001 to July 2004, winning 13 of 17 encounters.
Throughout the professional era, New Zealand has largely dominated the Tri‑Nations (now Rugby Championship), winning consecutive titles from 2005‑2008, again in 2010, and three‑year streaks from 2011‑2013 and 2016‑2018. The All Blacks also captured World Cups in 2011 and 2015, the latter team often hailed as the greatest ever.
South Africa’s high points came with World Cup triumphs in 1995, 2007 and 2019, and a Rugby Championship victory in 2024 and 2025. The Springboks endured a low point in 2017, suffering a 57‑0 defeat in Albany and a series of heavy losses to European sides.
The appointment of Rassie Erasmus as head coach sparked a dramatic turnaround. By September 2018, a rejuvenated South Africa secured a 36‑34 win in Wellington – their first victory on New Zealand soil since 2009.
The following year, South Africa lifted their third Webb Ellis Trophy, beating England in the final in Japan after a semi‑final win over the All Blacks. Since that World Cup, the Boks have held a 7‑4 edge in the head‑to‑head record, winning the Rugby Championship in 2024 and 2025 and capturing the 2023 World Cup final against a depleted All Blacks side. The current Springbok squad is praised for its depth and physicality, while the All Blacks are in a rebuilding phase under new head coach Dave Rennie after the dismissal of Scott Robertson. Rennie has described the upcoming tour as "the toughest tour in rugby," noting that eight matches in six weeks – including a four‑Test series against the world’s benchmark team – will test the squad’s resilience and provide a unique opportunity to forge connections across the sport.
The schedule repeats the earlier fixtures: Stormers 21‑38 (Cape Town), Sharks 0‑54 (Durban), Bulls 19‑50 (Pretoria), followed by the four Tests on August 22 (Ellis Park, Johannesburg), August 29 (Cape Town), September 5 (FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) and September 12 (Baltimore, USA). Fans can watch every minute of the tour live on Sky Sports, ensuring that the storied rivalry between the All Blacks and Springboks continues to captivate a global audience.