Rugby's Greatest Rivalry: Everything you need to know about the Springboks vs All Blacks tour
The Springboks and All Blacks begin a historic four-Test series on Saturday as Rugby's Greatest Rivalry returns to South Africa.
South Africa and New Zealand meet at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on August 22 for the first of four Tests in the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour.
The All Blacks' visit is the first full tour of South Africa by New Zealand since 1996, with eight matches scheduled across more than five weeks.
The series brings together two of rugby's most successful nations and the holders of seven of the last 10 Rugby World Cups, with South Africa winning the 2023 final against New Zealand.
What is Rugby's Greatest Rivalry?
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is a new quadrennial touring concept designed to revive the traditional international tours that once defined rugby.
The 2026 edition sees New Zealand travel to South Africa for four matches against the country's leading franchises before playing four Tests against the Springboks.
The All Blacks have already faced the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls, with the Lions still to come between the Test matches.
The tour will then conclude with a fourth and final Test against South Africa at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States, on September 12.
It is the first major All Blacks tour of South Africa in 30 years and deliberately recreates the feel of the traditional touring era while introducing a modern four-Test format.
Why is the rivalry so significant?
The Springboks and All Blacks have been competing against each other since 1921, with Saturday's match representing their 111th Test meeting.
New Zealand currently lead the overall head-to-head record, while South Africa have become increasingly dominant in the biggest recent encounters.
The Springboks defeated the All Blacks 12-11 in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, having also beaten New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup final at Ellis Park.
The 2026 series therefore returns to the same Johannesburg venue where South Africa won the first of those World Cup finals.
There is also historical symmetry surrounding New Zealand's participation.
The 2026 tour comes exactly 30 years after the All Blacks' famous 1996 tour, when New Zealand became the first visiting side to win a Test series in South Africa.
All Blacks arrive in strong form
New Zealand have made an emphatic start to the tour.
They opened with a 38-21 victory against the Stormers before dismantling the Sharks 54-0 in Durban.
Their final franchise match against the Bulls produced another impressive result, with the All Blacks running in eight tries during a 50-19 victory at Loftus Versfeld.
The Bulls result was particularly significant because it came just one week before the first Test.
New Zealand were dominant at the set piece and breakdown, created numerous turnovers and showed considerably greater attacking efficiency than their South African opponents.
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Injury setbacks
Captain Codie Taylor scored twice, while Josh Moorby also crossed twice.
However, the All Blacks have also suffered some injury setbacks.
Caleb Clarke has been ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a shoulder injury, while George Bell and Billy Proctor have also departed the squad through injury.
Richie Mo'unga has subsequently returned to the All Blacks set-up after last appearing for New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup final.
Springboks prepare for a different challenge
South Africa enter the series as back-to-back World Cup champions and the world's leading side, but they have not had the same match preparation as their opponents.
The Springboks' most recent Tests came during the Nations Championship, including a 45-21 victory over England at Ellis Park and a series of matches against Argentina.
Their players have subsequently been preparing within the national set-up while several were released to their franchises for the All Blacks' provincial fixtures.
That strategic approach was deliberate.
Erasmus initially named a 43-player group for the Argentina Test and Rugby's Greatest Rivalry before releasing five players to their franchises.
The Springboks head coach wanted players returning from injury to gain valuable game time while also allowing others to recover from their workload.
The Springboks now have some important selection questions to answer.
Kolisi is managing a hamstring problem, while Nche has a knee niggle, with Erasmus delaying his squad announcement until Thursday to assess their fitness.
The first Test at Ellis Park
Saturday's opening Test carries significance beyond the four points available.
Ellis Park has already witnessed some of the rivalry's most important moments, including South Africa's 1995 World Cup final victory and their 2000 46-40 thriller against New Zealand.
The Springboks also defeated England 45-21 at the venue earlier this year, meaning the Johannesburg crowd will enter the first Test with plenty of recent memories of South African success.
Erasmus has rejected suggestions that South Africa will deliberately slow the game down to counter New Zealand's high-intensity approach.
He believes the Springboks have evolved considerably since the traditional perception of them as a purely physical team.
That could make the opening Test particularly fascinating: New Zealand's attacking momentum against South Africa's physicality, adaptability and depth.
What comes after the first Test?
The opening match is only the beginning.
Date / Match / Venue
August 22 - South Africa vs New Zealand - Ellis Park
August 29 - South Africa vs New Zealand - DHL Stadium, Cape Town
September 5 - South Africa vs New Zealand - FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
September 12 - South Africa vs New Zealand - M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Between those Tests, the All Blacks will also face the Lions in Johannesburg on August 25.
The fourth Test is perhaps the most unusual element of the entire concept.
Instead of remaining in South Africa, the rivalry will conclude in Baltimore, taking the Springboks and All Blacks to the United States for the first Test in this series to be played outside South Africa.
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A new chapter in an old rivalry
The first Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour is ultimately an attempt to give one of international rugby's defining rivalries a new identity.
South Africa and New Zealand have already produced two World Cup finals, countless decisive Tests and more than a century of history.
Now, for the first time in the professional era, they will contest a four-Test series.
The All Blacks arrive with considerable momentum.
The Springboks arrive as the reigning world champions, with home advantage and a squad built for the biggest occasions.
And with the opening Test taking place at Ellis Park - a venue woven into the history of this rivalry, the latest chapter could hardly have a more appropriate setting.
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