MAYBE ONE DAY Baltimore will be a rugby hotbed. Maybe then, we’ll look back at the decision to stage game four of this summer’s ‘Greatest Rivalry’ series at the 71,000-capacity M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, and see the true glory of this grand plan.
Yet for now, September’s fourth Test between South Africa and New Zealand feels oddly placed. The aim, clearly, is to put more money in the coffers and grow both ‘brands’ stateside ahead of the US staging the 2031 World Cup. Yet at the time of writing there is an abundance of tickets still available for the 12 September fixture. The cheapest single ticket available is listed at $134, on the pricey side for a potential ‘new’ audience.
Other venues had been flagged before Baltimore was confirmed, with the city reportedly eager to get itself on the 2031 World Cup venue list.
Both the SARU and NZR will hope those first three meetings on South African soil create a sufficiently captivating series, keeping interest alive ahead of a closing Test which takes place some 13,000km away from the 22 August opener in Johannesburg.
The fourth Test will be played in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The good news for the union blazers is that the first and second Tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town are sold out, with tickets still available for the third meeting in Johannesburg.
This rivalry remains rugby’s box-office match up, with the two nations sharing the last five World Cup titles, and the Springboks chasing three-in-a-row in Australia next year. And so, the reality is that for many, a four-game series between these teams will generate more interest than a standard Rugby Championship season, even if the 2025 edition of that competition was one of the most open and exciting in years.
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Rugby audiences are still romantic for the age-old touring tradition currently being squeezed out by the creation of new competitions.
This newly-minted ‘Greatest Rivalry’ series is the latest addition to an ever-changing rugby calendar, which already welcomed in the inaugural Nations Championship earlier this summer.
The extended series sees the Rugby Championship paused for a year, with New Zealand instead setting up camp in South Africa for six long weeks, during which time they’ll play four tour fixtures against South Africa’s URC teams alongside the Test games, while a Johannesburg meeting between the Springbok women and Black Ferns has also been pencilled in ahead of the third Test.
It all starts with Dave Rennie’s men taking on the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, for which there are reportedly thousands of tickets still available. Perhaps no surprise in a county still battling a cost of living crisis.
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
This series has created issues for some of the remaining SANZAAR nations. A Wallabies side in desperate need of improvement ahead of a home World Cup have managed to keep their diary busy and will play eight Tests, including one against the Boks and two against the All Blacks, before they arrive in the Northern Hemisphere for the second leg of the Nations Championship in November.
Yet Argentina, who play South Africa in Buenos Aires on Saturday, have just three Tests lined up before they take on Ireland in Dublin on 6 November (v South Africa once and Australia twice). Likewise Japan, who face the Wallabies home and away this month before hosting Canada in September. It’s fair to question how those nations are meant to grow the game when their annual competition is pulled away.
And then there is the question around how great this rivalry currently is. Since the turn of this decade the two nations have played 11 Tests, with South Africa winning seven and five of the last six. A year out from the 2027 World Cup in Australia, New Zealand would love to close that gap.
So far, the signs have been encouraging under Dave Rennie. Scott Robertson’s successor in the All Blacks hot seat has moved back to a more open and expansive attacking game, placing a big focus on the history and importance of wearing the All Blacks shirt while also doubling down on physicality.
The All Blacks won all three of their July Nations Championship outings, edging a thriller with France before beating Japan and seeing off Ireland in style. The inclusion of Ruben Love at out-half has added a new dynamic to the All Blacks attack, with scrum-half Cameron Roigard continuing to excel alongside him.
Yet if any team can dish up a harsh reality check, it’s the Boks. Rassie Erasmus used the Nations Championship window to grow his already impressive squad depth, beating England, Scotland and Wales, but this series will be viewed as the biggest challenge of their year.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu returns for the Springboks this weekend. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The return of gifted out-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who plays his first Test in a year this weekend, is good news for any neutrals tuning in. The Boks 10 could well be the star of next year’s World Cup. Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager are also all back in mix for the first time this season.
Make no mistake, these are the fixtures those Springbok stars have been eyeing up for months, yet even the players might be privately wondering if this elongated series is all a bit much.
Former All Black Jeff Wilson has been among the voices to criticise the decision to include a fourth game overseas.
“We didn’t need the fourth Test,” Wilson told Sky Sports NZ. “I just feel as though this is for a different reason. The three-Test series in South Africa would have been perfect from my point of view. Absolutely perfect.”
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Can Springboks-All Blacks 'Greatest Rivalry' series hold interest all the way to Baltimore?
MAYBE ONE DAY Baltimore will be a rugby hotbed. Maybe then, we’ll look back at the decision to stage game four of this summer’s ‘Greatest Rivalry’ series at the 71,000-capacity M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, and see the true glory of this grand plan.
Yet for now, September’s fourth Test between South Africa and New Zealand feels oddly placed. The aim, clearly, is to put more money in the coffers and grow both ‘brands’ stateside ahead of the US staging the 2031 World Cup. Yet at the time of writing there is an abundance of tickets still available for the 12 September fixture. The cheapest single ticket available is listed at $134, on the pricey side for a potential ‘new’ audience.
Other venues had been flagged before Baltimore was confirmed, with the city reportedly eager to get itself on the 2031 World Cup venue list.
Both the SARU and NZR will hope those first three meetings on South African soil create a sufficiently captivating series, keeping interest alive ahead of a closing Test which takes place some 13,000km away from the 22 August opener in Johannesburg.
The good news for the union blazers is that the first and second Tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town are sold out, with tickets still available for the third meeting in Johannesburg.
This rivalry remains rugby’s box-office match up, with the two nations sharing the last five World Cup titles, and the Springboks chasing three-in-a-row in Australia next year. And so, the reality is that for many, a four-game series between these teams will generate more interest than a standard Rugby Championship season, even if the 2025 edition of that competition was one of the most open and exciting in years.
Rugby audiences are still romantic for the age-old touring tradition currently being squeezed out by the creation of new competitions.
This newly-minted ‘Greatest Rivalry’ series is the latest addition to an ever-changing rugby calendar, which already welcomed in the inaugural Nations Championship earlier this summer.
The extended series sees the Rugby Championship paused for a year, with New Zealand instead setting up camp in South Africa for six long weeks, during which time they’ll play four tour fixtures against South Africa’s URC teams alongside the Test games, while a Johannesburg meeting between the Springbok women and Black Ferns has also been pencilled in ahead of the third Test.
It all starts with Dave Rennie’s men taking on the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, for which there are reportedly thousands of tickets still available. Perhaps no surprise in a county still battling a cost of living crisis.
This series has created issues for some of the remaining SANZAAR nations. A Wallabies side in desperate need of improvement ahead of a home World Cup have managed to keep their diary busy and will play eight Tests, including one against the Boks and two against the All Blacks, before they arrive in the Northern Hemisphere for the second leg of the Nations Championship in November.
Yet Argentina, who play South Africa in Buenos Aires on Saturday, have just three Tests lined up before they take on Ireland in Dublin on 6 November (v South Africa once and Australia twice). Likewise Japan, who face the Wallabies home and away this month before hosting Canada in September. It’s fair to question how those nations are meant to grow the game when their annual competition is pulled away.
And then there is the question around how great this rivalry currently is. Since the turn of this decade the two nations have played 11 Tests, with South Africa winning seven and five of the last six. A year out from the 2027 World Cup in Australia, New Zealand would love to close that gap.
So far, the signs have been encouraging under Dave Rennie. Scott Robertson’s successor in the All Blacks hot seat has moved back to a more open and expansive attacking game, placing a big focus on the history and importance of wearing the All Blacks shirt while also doubling down on physicality.
The All Blacks won all three of their July Nations Championship outings, edging a thriller with France before beating Japan and seeing off Ireland in style. The inclusion of Ruben Love at out-half has added a new dynamic to the All Blacks attack, with scrum-half Cameron Roigard continuing to excel alongside him.
Yet if any team can dish up a harsh reality check, it’s the Boks. Rassie Erasmus used the Nations Championship window to grow his already impressive squad depth, beating England, Scotland and Wales, but this series will be viewed as the biggest challenge of their year.
The return of gifted out-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who plays his first Test in a year this weekend, is good news for any neutrals tuning in. The Boks 10 could well be the star of next year’s World Cup. Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager are also all back in mix for the first time this season.
Make no mistake, these are the fixtures those Springbok stars have been eyeing up for months, yet even the players might be privately wondering if this elongated series is all a bit much.
Former All Black Jeff Wilson has been among the voices to criticise the decision to include a fourth game overseas.
“We didn’t need the fourth Test,” Wilson told Sky Sports NZ. “I just feel as though this is for a different reason. The three-Test series in South Africa would have been perfect from my point of view. Absolutely perfect.”
Little in rugby ever is.
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