The Legendary Clash: A Chronicle of the All Blacks vs Springboks Rivalry

In 2026 the traditional Rugby Championship is absent, but rugby fans are treated to a nostalgic tour that sees New Zealand’s All Blacks travel to South Africa for a packed eight‑match itinerary, highlighted by four full‑blown Test matches against the Springboks, all broadcast live on Sky Sports. Promoted in both countries as the "Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour," the series is designed to celebrate more than a century of contests between the two most successful nations in the sport’s history. So far the All Blacks have dispatched the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls in convincing fashion and now turn their attention to the Springboks for Tests scheduled on 22 August, 29 August, 5 September and 12 September. Below is a detailed look at the origins of this rivalry, the key flashpoints that have defined it, and the memorable moments that have shaped it over the decades.

**Tour Schedule** - 7 August – Stormers 21‑38 New Zealand (Cape Town) - 11 August – Sharks 0‑54 New Zealand (Durban) - 15 August – Bulls 19‑50 New Zealand (Pretoria) - 22 August – 1st Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (16:10 BST) - 25 August – Lions vs New Zealand, Johannesburg (18:00 BST) - 29 August – 2nd Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, Cape Town (16:10 BST) - 5 September – 3rd Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (16:10 BST) - 12 September – 4th Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, USA (22:00 BST) **The Early Encounters** The first meeting between the two nations took place on 13 August 1921 at Carisbrook in Dunedin, when a touring South African side faced the All Blacks. New Zealand emerged victorious, 13‑5. A week later the Boks turned the tables with a 9‑5 win at Eden Park, and the series concluded with a 0‑0 draw in Wellington, leaving the tally at one win each.

Since that inaugural clash, the two teams have met in roughly 110 Test matches. The All Blacks have claimed 63 victories, the Springboks 43, and four games have ended in a draw. When the matches are broken down by venue, the balance is slightly different: in South Africa, the hosts have won 28 of 54 Tests (with one draw), while New Zealand has taken 25.

In New Zealand, the All Blacks have won 34 of 48 Tests, the Springboks 11, and three matches have been drawn. **World Cup Drama** The rivalry has also been a staple of Rugby World Cup history. South Africa denied New Zealand the trophy in two dramatic finals – 1995 in Johannesburg and 2023 in France – and also bested the All Blacks in a third‑place playoff in 1999.

Conversely, New Zealand eliminated the Springboks in the 2015 semi‑final, the 2003 quarter‑final, and in the pool stage of the 2023 tournament. **Interwar and Post‑War Periods** After the 1921 series, the sides met again in 1927 when New Zealand toured South Africa. That tour finished level at 2‑2, with each nation securing two wins on foreign soil.

South Africa then enjoyed a period of dominance, winning a 2‑1 series in New Zealand in 1937 and sweeping a home series 4‑0 in 1949. New Zealand responded in 1956 with a 3‑1 home series victory, but the Boks reclaimed the upper hand in 1960 with a 2‑1 win on home turf. **The Apartheid Era and Sporting Boycotts** From 1948 to 1994 South Africa’s policy of apartheid profoundly affected the rugby relationship.

The South African government forbade mixed‑race sport, which forced New Zealand to exclude Māori players from tours to South Africa. This exclusion sparked massive protests in New Zealand, most notably during the 1960 tour. Internationally, South Africa faced growing isolation: they were barred from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, expelled from the International Olympic Committee in 1970, and excluded from the Davis Cup and other global competitions.

Rugby, however, proved slower to act. In 1965 the Springboks toured New Zealand and lost three of four Tests, but the anti‑tour movement, Halt All Racist Tours (HART), was founded in 1969 to pressure both unions.

The 1970 All Blacks tour of South Africa resulted in a 3‑1 series loss for New Zealand. A planned 1973 Springbok tour of New Zealand was cancelled amid mounting global condemnation, yet the two sides still clashed in 1976 (South Africa winning 3‑1 at home) and 1981 (New Zealand winning 2‑1 in a series marred by widespread protests). The 1981 tour saw two matches aborted: a Hamilton game was halted when protestors ripped down a chain‑link fence and scattered nails across the field, while a Timaru fixture was called off for security concerns.

The final Test was even disrupted by an aircraft dropping flour bombs, flares and leaflets, briefly stunning All Blacks prop Gary Knight. A planned 1985 series was blocked by a New Zealand court ruling that such a tour would be “incompatible with the NZRFU’s legally stated purpose of fostering and encouraging the game of rugby.” Consequently, the Springboks missed the first two Rugby World Cups (1987, 1991), and a 1986 British and Irish Lions tour was also cancelled.

**Rebel Tours and the End of Isolation** After the 1985 cancellation, a rogue New Zealand side called the Cavaliers toured South Africa in 1986 without official sanction. Participants were heavily criticised, received bans that kept many out of future Tests, and some never represented the All Blacks again. With apartheid dismantled, South Africa returned to international sport in 1992, playing a Test against New Zealand at Ellis Park and narrowly losing 27‑24. Nelson Mandela’s election in 1994 ushered in a new era, encouraging all South Africans to rally behind the once‑controversial Springboks.

That year the Springboks toured New Zealand for the first time in two decades, drawing one Test and losing the other two. Later, South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, a tournament that captured the world’s imagination. Despite being ranked ninth after years of isolation, the Boks reached the final, where they faced a dominant All Blacks side led by Jonah Lomu.

In a tightly contested match, South Africa triumphed 15‑12 after extra time. Rumours of food‑poisoning plagued the All Blacks camp, with coach Laurie Mains even hiring a private investigator, though no conclusive evidence ever emerged. **The Professional Era and Shifting Dominance** The All Blacks toured South Africa in August 1996 seeking revenge after the 1995 final loss. Having already won the inaugural 1996 Tri‑Nations, they secured a 23‑19 victory in Durban, followed by a 33‑26 win in Pretoria, clinching the series with a game to spare.

Though the Springboks won the third Test, New Zealand went on to dominate the next several years, remaining unbeaten against South Africa from 2001 until July 2004 and collecting Tri‑Nations titles in 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003. South Africa broke the All Blacks’ streak in 2004 and again in 2009, but the Kiwi side re‑asserted its supremacy with four consecutive Tri‑Nations crowns from 2005‑2008, another in 2010, and a further three‑year run from 2011‑2013, then again from 2016‑2018. They also captured Rugby World Cup titles in 2011 and 2015, the latter featuring a squad many regard as the greatest ever assembled. The Springboks, meanwhile, lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy in 2007, defeating England in the final after a stunning upset of France in the quarter‑finals.

However, they endured a decade‑long drought, failing to win major silverware between 2009 and 2019. **A Low Point and the Rise of Rassie Erasmus** September 2017 marked a nadir for South African rugby when the Springboks were thrashed 57‑0 by the All Blacks in Albany. Subsequent defeats to Ireland (38‑3) and Wales highlighted systemic issues.

The appointment of Rassie Erasmus as head coach sparked a dramatic turnaround. By September 2018, a rejuvenated Springbok side secured a 36‑34 win in Wellington – their first victory on New Zealand soil since 2009. A year later, South Africa claimed their third World Cup, beating England in the final in Japan. They had eliminated the All Blacks in the semi‑finals after the New Zealanders had already beaten them in the pool stage.

**Recent Developments (2020‑2026)** Since that triumph, the Springboks have enjoyed a favorable head‑to‑head record, winning seven of the last eleven Tests against New Zealand. They captured the Rugby Championship in 2024 and 2025 and secured the 2023 World Cup, albeit against a depleted All Blacks side reduced to 14 players. The current Springbok squad appears deeper and more versatile than ever, while the All Blacks are in a rebuilding phase under head coach Dave Rennie, after the dismissal of Scott Robertson.

Rennie acknowledges the difficulty of the upcoming tour: “Eight matches in six weeks, including a four‑Test series against the Springboks, will be the toughest tour in rugby history. It will be an intense seven weeks of touring but an excellent opportunity for us to pit ourselves against the current benchmark team in world rugby, and to build connections with each other in a way that only a tour of this scale can do.” **Conclusion** The All Blacks‑Springboks rivalry is more than a series of games; it is a narrative woven through politics, social change, triumph, controversy and pure sporting excellence.

From the first Test in 1921 to the modern‑day tour of 2026, each encounter adds another chapter to a saga that continues to capture the imagination of rugby fans worldwide. To experience the drama live, tune into Sky Sports for every minute of New Zealand’s eight‑match South African odyssey.