Highest Win Percentage in Tests
The greatest rivalry in world rugby: All Blacks vs Springboks.
New Zealand (the All Blacks) and South Africa (the Springboks) have been playing rugby test matches against each other since 1921. They have faced each other 110 times with New Zealand winning 63 times, South Africa 43 times and with 4 draws. 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.
- Team
- New Zealand All Blacks
- Sport
- Rugby Union
- Achievement_Type
- Highest Test Win Percentage
- Status
- Active Record Holder
- Key_Era
- Post-1905 to Present
- Notable_Factor
- Consistency Across Decades
Lore & Background
The rivalry is argued to be the biggest in world rugby, with both countries being among the sport's premier sides, having positive win records against every other nation, and holding 7 of the 10 rugby world cup trophies between them. The 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand resulted in the largest mass civil unrest in New Zealand history due to protests over Apartheid. The 1995 World Cup final, with Springbok captain Francois Pienaar holding the trophy alongside Nelson Mandela, is an iconic moment and seen as pivotal in South Africa's post-apartheid nation-building.
In Their Own Story
The rain slicked the grass at Eden Park, turning the pitch into a mirror under the floodlights. As the referee blew the final whistle, the scoreboard didn't just show points; it whispered history. Another match won, another percentage point secured in the grand ledger of rugby union. The players, mud-streaked and breathless, looked not at the crowd but at each other, knowing they had added a small, vital thread to the tapestry of the highest winning record in the sport.
Reader's Guide
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, New Zealand compiled a 31–10 record over South Africa. South Africa's resurgence since the appointment of Rassie Erasmus as coach in 2018 has resulted in the rivalry reigniting, as South Africa lead the series 8–6 (with one draw) since his appointment. Since 2004 New Zealand and South Africa have contested the Freedom Cup, which has remained a trophy contested annually in the Tri Nations Series/Rugby Championship since 2006.
Did You Know?
- 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.
- The two sides are responsible for each other's largest defeats: New Zealand beat South Africa 57–0 in 2017 and South Africa beat New Zealand 43–10 in 2025.
- South Africa had won a series in New Zealand in 1937.
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