South Africa Rivalry

Lore & Background

The 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand resulted in the largest mass civil unrest in New Zealand history as people protested over the Springboks coming to tour their country due to the then South African government's policy of Apartheid. Consequently, subsequent tours were cancelled and the All Blacks and Springboks did not meet again until August 1992, in Johannesburg, when the Springboks were re-admitted to World Rugby. The 1995 World Cup final between these two nations, with Springbok captain Francois Pienaar holding aloft the world cup trophy alongside former South African President, Nelson Mandela, is an iconic moment in the sport's history - and seen as a pivotal moment in South Africa's post-apartheid nation-building.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Ellis Park hung heavy with humidity and the electric tension of eighty thousand voices. The scoreboard glowed: 15-12. New Zealand clung to a razor-thin lead as the Springbok forward pack surged, a relentless tidal wave of green and gold. A Wallaby referee's whistle pierced the din for a penalty, but it was instantly swallowed by a deafening roar of 'Die Boks' that seemed to vibrate through the concrete stands. The All Blacks scrum-half, sweat stinging his eyes, glanced up. The sea of black and gold jerseys merged into an unbreakable wall of support. He knew one slip wouldn't just lose a match; it would feed a century-old narrative of failure against their oldest foe. Opposite him, the Springbok flanker coiled like a spring, eyes locked on the ball, muscles taut to tear through the line. In that split second, history wasn't being watched from the stands—it was being felt in the bones of every player on the pitch.

Reader's Guide

New Zealand is the only nation to have won more games than it has lost against South Africa, and South Africa has the highest win percentage in the world against New Zealand. It took New Zealand 35 years to win their first series against South Africa (in 1956), and not until 1996 did New Zealand win their first series on South African soil (South Africa had won a series in New Zealand in 1937). The rivalry was close for eighty years between 1921–2000, when New Zealand led the head-to-head by 27–26. In the first 17 years of the 21st century, however, New Zealand compiled a 31–10 record over South Africa. This was during a period in which New Zealand dominated world rugby, but also coincided with two periods of disfunction in South African rugby under coaches Rudolf Straeuli and Allister Coetzee in 2002–2003 and 2016–2018 respectively. South Africa's resurgence since the appointment of Rassie Erasmus as coach of the Springboks in 2018 has resulted in the rivalry reigniting, as South Africa lead the series 8–6 (with one draw) since his appointment, including inflicting New Zealand's two worst ever defeats. They have faced each other 110 times with New Zealand winning 63 times, South Africa 43 times and with 4 draws between the two sides. As befits the intensity of the rivalry, the two sides are responsible for each other's largest defeats with New Zealand beating South Africa 57–0 in 2017 and South Africa beating New Zealand 43–10 in 2025. Since 2004 New Zealand and South Africa have contested the Freedom Cup. It has remained a trophy contested annually in the Tri Nations Series/Rugby Championship since 2006.

Did You Know?

• The first test match between the All Blacks and Springboks was in 1921, not 1928.
• New Zealand and South Africa have met in two Rugby World Cup finals (1995 and 2023), not three.
• The 1981 Springbok tour caused the largest mass civil unrest in New Zealand history.