All Blacks v Boks in Greatest Rivalry

By the Editorial Team · Friday, August 7, 2026

South Africa and New Zealand are launching a major rugby tour starting in Cape Town, featuring four Test matches including a rare game in Baltimore, as part of a new recurring rivalry series. The tour suspends the Rugby Championship this year and spotlights ongoing challenges with attendance and ticket pricing, despite high demand for the marquee matches.

South Africa and New Zealand are set to renew one of rugby’s most storied rivalries with a high-profile tour commencing in Cape Town on Friday. The series will open with New Zealand’s All Blacks facing three South African provincial teams—the Stormers, Sharks, and Bulls—before moving on to the first Test match in Johannesburg on August 22, followed by a clash with the Lions.

The main phase of the tour, dubbed the “Greatest Rivalry,” will feature four Test matches between the world’s top two ranked teams. These Tests will be held between August 29 and September 12 in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Baltimore, marking a rare occasion with the final match played in the United States, approximately 12,700 kilometers from South Africa.

South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks have collectively captured seven of the ten Rugby World Cup titles awarded to date, including consecutive championships shared between the two countries in recent tournaments. Their last extended tour took place three decades ago, with New Zealand achieving its only series victory in South Africa, winning 2-1 in six attempts.

The current tour is intended to become a recurring event every four years, with New Zealand slated to host the series in 2030. To accommodate this tour, the annual Rugby Championship, a six-round southern hemisphere tournament involving South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina, has been suspended this year. Nevertheless, South Africa will play one-off Test matches against Argentina in Buenos Aires this Saturday and against Australia in Perth on September 27.

While the tour has generated considerable anticipation, especially due to the compact schedule of four Tests within 22 days, it has also drawn criticism. Concerns have been raised over ticket pricing and the decision to host a Test match in Baltimore—an untraditional venue for rugby. Attendance issues have highlighted challenges faced by the Springboks recently, with significant stadium vacancies reported during their three Nations Championship games last month: 10,000 empty seats against England in Johannesburg, 5,000 spectators short against Scotland in Pretoria, and another 10,000 unoccupied in the match versus Wales in Durban. In contrast, tickets for the first two Tests against the All Blacks have reportedly sold out, indicating strong interest for the marquee rivalry despite other attendance concerns.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.