Rugby's Greatest Rivalry finale result: Springboks beat All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore
South Africa closed out Rugby's Greatest Rivalry in style on Saturday, September 12, beating the All Blacks 43-28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to win the four-Test series 3-1. The result gave the Springboks their first series win over New Zealand since 1976 and came in front of 68,173 fans, the largest crowd ever to watch a rugby match in North America.
New Zealand had needed a win to force a share of the series after South Africa took a 2-1 lead with victory at FNB Stadium. Instead, the Springboks pulled away in the third quarter and never let the All Blacks back into it, despite a late fightback from the tourists.
How the match unfolded
New Zealand started brightly. Fly-half Richie Mo'unga's side conceded an early penalty goal to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, but the All Blacks hit back inside ten minutes when halfback Cam Roigard found captain and hooker Codie Taylor with a long pass to the try line, Taylor's 24th Test try and the most by any All Blacks hooker.
South Africa answered with two tries of their own before the half-hour mark. Damian de Allende powered over from close range after a sustained forward surge, then Morne van den Berg snuck around the fringe of a lineout to score following a contentious penalty decision against Josh Moorby. New Zealand had the last word of the half, though: a 32-phase attacking movement off the back of a scrum penalty ended with wing Will Jordan finishing in the corner, leaving the All Blacks just three points adrift at the break, 17-14.
The turning point came three minutes into the second half. Hooker Malcolm Marx forced his way over from a driving lineout maul, and four minutes later flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit finished off another forward surge started by a Feinberg-Mngomezulu break. Both tries were converted, and South Africa's three-point half-time lead had become a 17-point cushion.
New Zealand refused to fold. Mo'unga landed a penalty and flanker Ethan Blackadder scored off a lineout drive to keep the scoreboard moving, but South Africa answered again, with wing Kurt-Lee Arendse crossing in the 71st minute and replacement Cameron Hanekom scoring with five minutes left. Beauden Barrett grabbed a consolation try for the All Blacks in the final minute, but by then the result was long settled.
Final score: South Africa 43 (De Allende, van den Berg, Marx, du Toit, Arendse, Hanekom tries) New Zealand 28 (Taylor, Jordan, Blackadder, Barrett tries).
A historic night for both sides
The match was the first rugby Test ever played at M&T Bank Stadium and only the sixth All Blacks Test on US soil, part of World Rugby's push to grow the sport ahead of the 2031 World Cup in the United States. It also marked Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus's 100th Test in charge, fittingly on the same ground where his coaching career began.
For New Zealand, the defeat compounded an already difficult tour. Captain-elect Ardie Savea had already been ruled out with a shoulder injury picked up in the third Test, and the All Blacks were further limited by injuries to Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea, plus the late withdrawal of Fabian Holland through illness. A ten-minute stoppage after match officials lost communication with the TMO added to a chaotic night for Dave Rennie's side.
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What it means for the series
South Africa's win completed a remarkable turnaround: New Zealand took the opening Test 33-16 at Ellis Park, only for the Springboks to respond with wins in Cape Town, Johannesburg and now Baltimore to close out the series 3-1. The four Tests produced 49, 59, 53 and 71 points respectively, so anyone who backed the over on match totals throughout the series would have cashed out four times in a row.
Pre-match, the lean here was for a narrow Springboks win decided by a handicap or winning-margin bet rather than a blowout. In the end, South Africa's 15-point margin was more comfortable than that read suggested, and their second-half set-piece and lineout-maul dominance did most of the damage, exactly the kind of pattern worth watching if these two sides meet again at next year's Rugby World Cup.
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Rugby's Greatest Rivalry finale FAQs
What was the final score in the Springboks v All Blacks finale?
South Africa beat New Zealand 43-28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
What was the final series score?
South Africa won the four-Test series 3-1, after New Zealand had won the opening Test 33-16.
Who scored the tries for South Africa?
Damian de Allende, Morne van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom all crossed for the Springboks.
Who scored the tries for New Zealand?
Codie Taylor, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder and Beauden Barrett scored for the All Blacks.
Was this a record crowd?
Yes. The 68,173 fans at M&T Bank Stadium made up the largest crowd to watch a rugby match in North America.
When did South Africa last win a series against New Zealand before this?
Not since 1976, making this a historic result for the Springboks.
