South Africa claims Rugby's Greatest Rivalry trophy as All Blacks fall short in final test
The South African Springboks defeated the New Zealand All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore to win the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3-1. Despite a competitive effort from the All Blacks, the Springboks demonstrated superior performance in key areas like the scrum and lineout.
Why it matters
This match highlights the international expansion of rugby and the competitive landscape of top-tier global rugby rivalries.
The Springboks have won the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3-1, ending it with a decisive 43-28 victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore.
The series result showed that the Springboks deserve their No 1 ranking, despite a brave but error-ridden attempt by the All Blacks to match them.
The South Africans were superior again in the final test, including at the scrum, the lineout, and the breakdown, where they again burgled turnovers to frustrate the All Blacks. While the Kiwis were again game and competitive, they were clearly second best on the day.
After British Open champion Ryan Fox carried the New Zealand flag, standing by the All Blacks for the anthem, the South Africans took an early lead with a penalty in the third minute when a Tupou Vaa'i tackle was judged to be too high by English referee Karl Dickson,
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