Springboks Win Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series 3-1 After Baltimore Thriller
Springboks win Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 after a 43-28 victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore. This South Africa 43-28 New Zealand Baltimore result completes a stunning turnaround from a series opener South Africa lost. It confirms the Springboks as the best side in world rugby right now.
A record rugby crowd in the United States watched the two sides trade six tries against four. The lead swung back and forth for long stretches of the match. This recap covers the final score, every try scored, the records this result set, and what it means for both teams heading toward 2027.
What Was the Final Score in Baltimore?
South Africa beat New Zealand 43-28 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, 12 September. Halftime stood at 17-14 to the Springboks, a slender lead given how much they had dominated the opening exchanges.
- Venue: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
- Result: South Africa 43-28 New Zealand
How Did the Springboks Win Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series 3-1?
South Africa lost the opening Test before winning the remaining three in a row. That run sealed this Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry final Test result in Baltimore. The full series played out like this.
| Test | Result | Venue |
| 1st Test | New Zealand won 33-16 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
| 2nd Test | South Africa won 33-26 | Cape Town Stadium |
| 3rd Test | South Africa won 29-24 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 4th Test | South Africa won 43-28 | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore |
Catch up on all three previous matches from the series.
Read how the All Blacks stunned the world champions 33-16 at Ellis Park.
See how the Springboks bounced back in Cape Town to level the series.
Find out how South Africa then edged a 29-24 thriller in Soweto to take a 2-1 lead into the finale.
How Did the Springboks Beat the All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore?
Damian de Allende opened the scoring with a sniped try from close range. He was heavily involved in the build-up too, touching the ball on three separate occasions during that passage of play. Morné van den Berg dummied his way through a hole from a driven lineout to extend the lead soon after.
Malcolm Marx crashed over from close range midway through the third quarter, extending his own head-to-head tally against this opponent. The score took his career Test try count to 29 overall, with eight of those specifically against the All Blacks. Pieter-Steph du Toit then finished a sweeping move that began from a scrum 70 meters downfield.
Kurt-Lee Arendse scythed through from 60 metres out after New Zealand spilled a loose ball. That try settled the contest for good. Replacement flank Cameron Hanekom added a sixth try, following his own tackle to win the ball back deep in New Zealand territory.
How Did the All Blacks Fight Back Throughout the Match?
New Zealand refused to fold despite spending long periods on the back foot. Hooker Codie Taylor opened the scoring inside the first ten minutes. He finished a slick move built from six phases of hands.
Will Jordan scored right at the stroke of halftime. His try came at the end of a remarkable 32-phase passage of play. That single move summed up how hard the All Blacks worked all series.
Ethan Blackadder crossed after South Africa gave away two breakdown penalties in quick succession. Replacement Beauden Barrett grabbed a late consolation try that flattered the final scoreline.
South Africa still finished with six tries to four on the day. Across all four Tests, the Springboks’ 3-1 series win over the All Blacks’ story looks even tighter than the final table suggests. South Africa outscored New Zealand 121 points to 111 over the series, yet New Zealand actually scored more tries overall, 17 to 14.
What Records Did This Result Set for the Springboks?
South Africa’s win pushed them to 95.09 points in the World Rugby Rankings. That figure is one they have never touched before, not even during their World Cup wins in 2007, 2019, and 2023. Their lead over New Zealand now sits at 3.95 points. That gap is the biggest between the two sides since July 2024.
This result also marked a first for South Africa’s side. Not since 2009 have the Springboks strung together three straight wins over the All Blacks inside a single calendar year. For New Zealand, this All Blacks loss in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 marks their first run of three straight Test defeats since 2022.
The match carried personal significance for head coach Rassie Erasmus too. Saturday’s victory was his hundredth game at the helm of the Springboks. Captain Siya Kolisi credited Erasmus afterward for the standard the squad holds itself to. Kolisi said the coach reminds the players where they come from before every Test.
What Did the Baltimore Crowd Mean for Rugby’s Future in the US?
Attendance on Saturday reached 68,173, a figure no rugby international has drawn before on American soil. Fans in green and gold heavily outnumbered All Blacks supporters. A healthy mix of curious neutrals filled out the rest of the stadium.
Both captains spoke afterward about what the occasion could mean for rugby’s growth in the country. All Blacks skipper Codie Taylor said American sports fans got fully behind the occasion. He backed US Rugby to keep building toward hosting the World Cup in 2031.
Kolisi went further still. He suggested NFL teams could eventually invest in existing American rugby clubs. He also floated the idea of giving some NFL players a route into the sport during their off-season. Both captains agreed that more fixtures like this one in the United States would only help rugby grow there.
What Comes Next for the Springboks and All Blacks?
New Zealand’s next assignment brings a fresh challenge under Dave Rennie, who has overseen visible improvement even in defeat this series. A probable meeting between these same two sides looms at the quarter-final stage of the Rugby World Cup 2027. That prospect already looks like one of the toughest draws in the tournament.
Both nations return to domestic and other international commitments before that day arrives. For now, Baltimore belongs to the Springboks.
