BALTIMORE, United States — South Africa have added another major prize to an already extraordinary era of Springbok rugby, overpowering New Zealand 43-28 in Baltimore to clinch the four-Test “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series 3-1.
The final score suggests authority, but the contest at M&T Bank Stadium was far tighter than the 15-point margin implies. New Zealand trailed by only three points at halftime before South Africa unleashed the combination that has repeatedly broken elite opponents: fresh forward power, set-piece pressure and ruthless finishing when the smallest openings appeared.
The Springboks scored six tries to New Zealand’s four, with Damian de Allende, Morné van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom crossing for the world champions. Codie Taylor, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder and Beauden Barrett scored New Zealand’s tries.
All Blacks strike first, but South Africa respond
New Zealand landed the opening blow when captain Codie Taylor went over after a rapid attacking sequence in the eighth minute. South Africa answered through De Allende before Van den Berg darted through from close range to push the Springboks ahead.
The All Blacks refused to disappear. Their most impressive first-half passage stretched South Africa’s defence through 32 phases before Jordan found the line, cutting the Springbok advantage to 17-14 at halftime. The score was Jordan’s 55th Test try.
Taylor also reached a milestone: his score was his 24th Test try, moving him clear as the most prolific try-scoring hooker in All Blacks history, according to New Zealand Rugby.
Then came the period that effectively decided the series.
The Bomb Squad changes the temperature
South Africa introduced fresh forwards early in the second half, and the consequences were almost immediate.
A scrum penalty gave the Springboks field position, and the resulting lineout maul ended with Malcolm Marx powering over in the 49th minute. Just minutes later, Van den Berg helped ignite another attack before Pieter-Steph du Toit finished it, suddenly stretching South Africa’s lead to 29-14.
Two tries in roughly four minutes had transformed a three-point halftime contest into a 15-point problem for New Zealand.
The All Blacks nevertheless found another response. Blackadder’s try cut the gap to 29-21, and with New Zealand attacking aggressively late in the match, the Springboks were facing their most dangerous stretch of the second half.
That was when Kurt-Lee Arendse produced the moment of the night.
Arendse’s breakaway ends the comeback
With New Zealand threatening to swing the match back their way, Arendse collected loose possession deep inside South African territory, beat defenders and accelerated away for a spectacular long-range try.
It pushed the score to 36-21 and punctured the All Blacks’ comeback hopes. Cameron Hanekom then crossed in the 78th minute to effectively seal both the Test and the series before veteran Beauden Barrett scored New Zealand’s fourth try at the death.
Scrumhalf Morné van den Berg was named player of the match, having combined his own try with a major influence on South Africa’s attacking tempo.
From 0-1 down to three straight victories
What makes South Africa’s series triumph particularly significant is how it began.
New Zealand shocked the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park in the opening Test, scoring five tries to one despite South Africa applying significant pressure during the early stages.
But the world champions responded.
South Africa won 33-26 in Cape Town to level the series, with Cheslin Kolbe contributing 18 points from the boot even though the All Blacks scored four tries to South Africa’s three.
A week later, the Springboks edged New Zealand 29-24 at FNB Stadium in Soweto, moving 2-1 ahead. New Zealand also lost captain Ardie Savea to a shoulder injury during that third Test, ruling him out of the Baltimore finale.
The complete Test series therefore finished:
New Zealand 33-16 South Africa → South Africa 33-26 New Zealand → South Africa 29-24 New Zealand → South Africa 43-28 New Zealand.
Three consecutive victories turned what began as an All Blacks statement into a convincing Springbok series triumph.
A historic tour — and a glimpse of rugby’s American future
The Baltimore finale carried significance beyond the scoreboard.
It completed New Zealand’s eight-match, six-week tour, the first All Blacks tour of South Africa on this traditional scale in 30 years. The tour included matches against the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions as well as the four Tests against the Springboks.
The final Test also attracted 68,173 spectators to M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens — a major crowd for rugby in the United States.
That American setting was no accident. The United States is due to host the 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup, making high-profile matches such as Springboks-All Blacks valuable tests of rugby’s ability to draw major audiences in NFL-sized venues.
The bigger warning ahead of the 2027 World Cup
Perhaps the most important part of the result is what it says about the balance of power heading toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
South Africa are the defending back-to-back world champions and remain the world’s top-ranked side. Their ability to lose the opening Test and then win three consecutive matches against the All Blacks demonstrated not simply physical strength but adaptability across a demanding month-long series.
New Zealand coach Dave Rennie, however, has argued that the tour showed progress despite the 3-1 defeat. The All Blacks scored 17 tries across the four-Test series, and Rennie described South Africa as the benchmark his team must close on before the World Cup.
For the Springboks, Baltimore delivered another trophy.
For the All Blacks, it delivered something less comfortable: evidence that competing with South Africa for 60 or 70 minutes is not enough when the world champions have developed a habit of owning the moments that decide Tests.
And with the next Rugby World Cup little more than a year away, that may be the result from this series that matters most.
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