In 2026 the traditional Rugby Championship will be on pause, but rugby fans are treated to a nostalgic, high‑profile tour that sees New Zealand’s legendary All Blacks head south for an eight‑match extravaganza, including four full‑blown Test matches against South Africa’s Springboks. Branded in both countries as "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour," the series is designed to celebrate more than a century of fierce contests between the two most successful nations in the sport’s history. The tour has already delivered a series of dominant performances by the All Blacks against provincial powerhouses.
In Cape Town the Stormers fell 21‑38, in Durban the Sharks were overwhelmed 0‑54, and in Pretoria the Bulls were beaten 19‑50. These results set the stage for the four Test encounters scheduled for August 22, August 29, September 5 and September 12. The final Test even travels across the Atlantic to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA, underscoring the global reach of the rivalry.
### Early Encounters: The Foundations of a Rivalry The first meeting between New Zealand and South Africa took place on 13 August 1921 at Carisbrook in Dunedin, when the Springboks toured New Zealand. The All Blacks secured a 13‑5 win, but the Boks answered a week later with a 9‑5 triumph at Eden Park. The series concluded with a 0‑0 draw in Wellington, leaving the inaugural tour dead‑locked at 1‑1.
This set in motion a rivalry that would span more than a hundred Test matches. To date there have been roughly 110 Tests between the two sides. New Zealand holds a narrow edge with 63 victories, South Africa 43, and four matches ending in a draw.
When the games are broken down by venue, the picture becomes even more nuanced: in South Africa the hosts have won 28 of 54 Tests (with New Zealand taking 25 and one draw), while in New Zealand the All Blacks have prevailed in 34 of 48 Tests (the Springboks 11, three draws). These numbers illustrate how home‑field advantage has often, but not always, tipped the scales.
### World Cup Drama The rivalry has provided some of the most memorable moments on rugby’s biggest stage. South Africa defeated New Zealand in two iconic World Cup finals – the 1995 final on home soil, a symbolic triumph for a nation emerging from apartheid, and the 2023 final in Japan, where the Springboks out‑lasted a depleted All Blacks side.
They also bested New Zealand in a third‑place playoff in 1999. Conversely, the All Blacks have enjoyed success against the Boks in knockout phases: a semi‑final win in 2015, a quarter‑final victory in 2003, and a pool‑stage triumph in 2023. The seesawing fortunes at World Cups have added layers of drama to an already intense bilateral relationship.
### The Apartheid Era and Sporting Boycotts Between 1948 and 1994 South Africa’s apartheid regime imposed strict racial segregation, including in sport. The South African government refused to allow mixed‑race teams, prompting New Zealand to exclude Māori players from several tours.
This policy sparked widespread protests, most notably during the 1960 All Blacks tour of South Africa, where demonstrators highlighted the moral contradiction of playing under a racist banner. International isolation of South Africa accelerated throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The nation was barred from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, expelled from the International Olympic Committee in 1970, and excluded from major tennis competitions. Rugby, however, proved slower to act, allowing a handful of tours to proceed despite mounting pressure.
In 1965 the Springboks toured New Zealand, winning three of four Tests. The following year New Zealand’s Halt All Racist Tours (HART) movement formed to oppose any future contacts. A 1970 All Blacks tour of South Africa ended in a 3‑1 series loss for the Kiwis. Plans for a 1973 tour were cancelled amid global sporting sanctions, yet matches still occurred in 1976 (South Africa winning 3‑1 at home) and 1981 (New Zealand winning 2‑1 in a tour marred by massive protests).
The 1981 tour saw two games halted by activists: in Hamilton, protestors ripped down a chain fence, scattered nails on the pitch and staged a sit‑in; in Timaru a match was called off pre‑emptively due to security concerns. The final Test was even bombarded by an aircraft dropping flour bombs, flares and leaflets, temporarily stunning All Blacks prop Gary Knight. The 1985 planned series was scrapped after a New Zealand court ruled that playing South Africa would be incompatible with the New Zealand Rugby Football Union’s purpose of promoting the game. The Springboks missed the first two Rugby World Cups (1987, 1991) and a 1986 British & Irish Lions tour was also cancelled.
A controversial "rebel" tour took place in 1986 when a privately organised New Zealand Cavaliers side toured South Africa. Participants faced bans and, for some, the end of their international careers. ### Re‑entry and the Post‑Apartheid Era With apartheid’s demise, South Africa returned to international competition. The first post‑boycott Test against New Zealand occurred in 1992, with the Springboks pulling off a surprise 27‑24 win at Ellis Park.
Nelson Mandela, elected president in 1994, used the Springboks as a unifying symbol for the new South Africa, urging all citizens to support the once‑divisive team. In 1995 South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup. Ranked ninth globally after years of isolation, the Springboks shocked the world by reaching the final, where they faced a dominant All Blacks side led by Jonah Lomu.
The final, played before a jubilant Mandela in a Springbok jersey, ended 15‑12 after extra time in South Africa’s favour. Controversy lingered, with many attributing the All Blacks’ failure to a sudden bout of food‑borne illness that afflicted a large portion of the squad.
Conspiracy theories involving a missing waitress named "Suzie" and private investigations never proved conclusive, but the episode remains a talking point. The following year, the All Blacks toured South Africa, seeking revenge. After winning the inaugural 1996 Tri‑Nations, they swept the three‑Test series 2‑0 (with one Test left unplayed) in South Africa, cementing their reputation as "The Incomparables" in the dawning professional era.
From 2001 to July 2004 the All Blacks went unbeaten against the Springboks, winning 13 of 17 encounters. New Zealand dominated the Tri‑Nations, capturing titles in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, and then a remarkable run of four consecutive titles from 2005‑2008, again in 2010, and three‑peat stretches from 2011‑2013 and 2016‑2018. They also secured Rugby World Cup victories in 2011 and 2015, the latter side often hailed as the greatest All Blacks team ever assembled.
South Africa’s high points in the same period included Tri‑Nations triumphs in 2004 and 2009, and a World Cup win in 2007 after defeating France in the quarter‑finals and beating England in the final. However, the Boks endured a trophy drought from 2009‑2019, culminating in a disastrous 2017‑2018 stretch where they suffered heavy defeats to the All Blacks (57‑0 in Albany) and to European powers such as Ireland, Wales, England and Italy. ### The Rassie Erasmus Renaissance The appointment of Rassie Erasmus as Springbok head coach marked a turning point.
By September 2018 his revitalised side travelled to New Zealand and claimed a 36‑34 win in Wellington – the first victory on New Zealand soil since 2009. Less than a year later, South Africa captured their third World Cup title in Japan, beating England in the final after a semi‑final showdown with the All Blacks. Since that triumph, the Springboks have enjoyed a favourable head‑to‑head record, winning seven of eleven Tests against New Zealand.
They secured Rugby Championship crowns in 2024 and 2025 and lifted the 2023 Rugby World Cup, albeit against a depleted All Blacks side that entered the final with only fourteen players. ### The Current Landscape The 2026 tour arrives at a moment of transition for both nations. The All Blacks, under new head coach Dave Rennie after the dismissal of Scott Robertson, are in a rebuilding phase.
Rennie acknowledges the difficulty of the schedule: "Eight matches in six weeks, including a four‑Test series against the Springboks, this 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." South Africa, meanwhile, field a deep, well‑balanced squad that many analysts consider even stronger than the 2023 champions. Their recent successes in the Rugby Championship and World Cup suggest they remain the team to beat.
### Schedule Recap - **Friday 7 August** – Stormers 21‑38 New Zealand (Cape Town) - **Tuesday 11 August** – Sharks 0‑54 New Zealand (Durban) - **Saturday 15 August** – Bulls 19‑50 New Zealand (Pretoria) - **Saturday 22 August** – 1st Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (4:10 pm BST) - **Tuesday 25 August** – Lions vs New Zealand, Johannesburg (6:00 pm BST) - **Saturday 29 August** – 2nd Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, Cape Town (4:10 pm BST) - **Saturday 5 September** – 3rd Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (4:10 pm BST) - **Saturday 12 September** – 4th Test: South Africa vs New Zealand, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, USA (10:00 pm BST) Fans can follow every minute of the eight‑match tour live on Sky Sports, with streaming available through NOW. The series promises to add fresh chapters to a rivalry that has produced legendary players, political controversy, and some of the most dramatic moments in sport’s history.