The Springboks have won Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series three Tests to one after beating the All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon US time, which was Sunday morning in New Zealand.
South Africa scored six tries to four at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. It was the first traditional series between the two countries in 30 years, and the win also marked Rassie Erasmus’ 100th Test as South Africa’s head coach, Sky Sports reported.
The All Blacks needed to win to draw the series. They were competitive for long stretches, but South Africa, the world champions and top-ranked side, were stronger at the scrum, the lineout and the breakdown, where they again won turnovers that stalled New Zealand’s attack, according to RNZ’s match report. Handling in the humid conditions was another problem for the tourists.
Golfer Ryan Fox carried the New Zealand flag before the anthems, and the All Blacks started brightly. After first five-eighth Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked a third-minute penalty, awarded when English referee Karl Dickson judged a Tupou Vaa’i tackle too high, captain Codie Taylor charged over in the eighth minute at the end of a slick passing move. Damian McKenzie converted for a 7-3 lead.
The Springboks then took control of possession. Set-piece mistakes and dropped ball gave them chances, and centre Damian de Allende barged over from close range after sustained pressure opened a gap in the New Zealand defence.
The game then stopped for about 10 minutes when the referee lost communication with the television match official. RNZ reported that play resumed after the two captains agreed the TMO would only be used for foul play, with a phone call to be made if that happened. It was an awkward moment in a match meant to showcase rugby to American fans.
Soon after the restart halfback Morné van den Berg scored off a driving maul in the 22nd minute. Both South African tries were converted and the Springboks led 17-7.
The All Blacks hit back just before halftime. After 32 phases hammering at the South African line, Will Jordan found a gap and ran in under the posts for his 55th Test try. McKenzie’s conversion made it 17-14 at the break.
The third quarter decided the match. Hooker Malcolm Marx drove over from a maul in the 48th minute after All Blacks prop Ethan de Groot was penalised at a scrum, and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit scored within a few minutes. Van den Berg converted the second of those tries and South Africa led 29-14.
Flanker Ethan Blackadder, in his first start of the series, scored a converted try to cut the gap to 29-21, and for a time the All Blacks looked capable of a comeback. That hope ended when wing Kurt-Lee Arendse broke away to score under the posts. The All Blacks argued Josh Moorby had been impeded as he tried to take a pass from McKenzie, but Dickson ruled the contact was simultaneous.
Four minutes later replacement loose forward Cameron Hanekom scored again, and Manie Libbok converted both tries to make it 43-21. Replacement Beauden Barrett touched down in the final minute, and the conversion set the final score at 43-28.
The series had started well for New Zealand, who won the first Test 33-16 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. South Africa levelled it with a 33-26 win in Cape Town, then won 29-24 at FNB Stadium in Soweto last weekend to go 2-1 up heading to the United States.
Coach Dave Rennie made eight changes to his starting side for Baltimore, RNZ reported when the team was named on Friday. Injuries ruled out captain Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea, and lock Fabian Holland was unavailable through illness. Taylor returned as captain after being dropped for the third Test, and Richie Mo’unga started at first five-eighth in place of Ruben Love. Wing Leroy Carter, who missed crucial tackles in Soweto, was left out of the 23.
Rennie said when naming the side that the Test was “our chance to draw the series” and to finish the tour with a performance the team could be proud of. The All Blacks now head home at the end of a tour that began seven weeks ago.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi thanked supporters from both countries after the match. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said the two sides “go hard on each other on the field” but “the respect we have for each other is always there.”
Before the match Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, on his first visit to the United States, told the Baltimore Sun that playing the All Blacks four weeks in a row was “brutal, but it’s also a massive privilege.”
The crowd was the largest ever at a rugby union match in the United States, according to Sky Sports. The Baltimore Sun reported on Friday that ticket sales had already passed 62,300, beating the North American record set when Ireland beat the All Blacks at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2016. The final Test was a shop window for the sport five years before the United States hosts the men’s Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2031.
The All Blacks still lead the overall rivalry. Before Saturday, New Zealand had won 64 of the 113 Tests between the two countries, South Africa 45, and four had been drawn, according to the Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore result makes it 46 wins for South Africa across 114 Tests, and three wins in a row over New Zealand.
For the All Blacks, a tour that started with a convincing win at Ellis Park ended with three straight Test defeats. Newswire previewed the decider when the All Blacks headed to Baltimore without a captain earlier this week.
Was the series lost at the set piece, or did injuries and selection changes cost the All Blacks? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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