All Blacks vs Springboks is the meeting of New Zealand and South Africa in rugby union, a fixture the two nations have contested since 1921 and one widely described as the sport’s oldest and most even top-level rivalry. This guide explains how the rivalry began, what the all-time record now looks like, the matches that defined it, the trophies at stake and the way the two teams play. Every figure below is checked against current sources, because the numbers moved again during the 2026 season.
The two teams have now played 114 Tests. New Zealand leads the ledger, but the gap is narrow enough that a single series can swing the wider story of the rivalry, as the 2026 tour showed.
Key Facts
| First Test | 13 August 1921, Carisbrook, Dunedin (New Zealand won 13-5) |
| Tests played | 114 (as of September 2026) |
| All Blacks wins | 64 |
| Springboks wins | 46 |
| Draws | 4 |
| Biggest All Blacks win | 57-0 (Albany, 16 September 2017) |
| Main trophies | Freedom Cup, Rugby Championship, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Trophy |
| Most recent series | 2026: South Africa won 3-1 |
How the All Blacks vs Springboks rivalry began
The rivalry began in 1921, when a South African side toured New Zealand for a three-Test series. In an era when travel meant weeks at sea, playing South Africa quickly became the benchmark by which New Zealand measured itself, and vice versa. Both countries treated the fixture as the unofficial championship of the rugby world long before any World Cup existed.
Through the amateur decades the teams met on long reciprocal tours, adapting to sharply different conditions: the hard, high-altitude grounds of Johannesburg and Pretoria for the All Blacks, and the wet southern winters of Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch for the Springboks. Those tours were built around forward power, set-piece dominance and territorial kicking, and matches were often decided by a single score.
The 1921 series at Carisbrook
The first Test was played on 13 August 1921 at Carisbrook in Dunedin, and New Zealand won it 13-5. South Africa levelled the series with a 9-5 win in Auckland, and the third Test in Wellington finished scoreless, so the inaugural series ended drawn 1-1. That result set the tone for everything that followed: two closely matched sides, with neither able to establish lasting dominance over the other.
From amateur tours to the professional era
Rugby union turned professional in 1995, and the fixture changed with it. The single most important milestone for New Zealand came in 1996, when a side captained by Sean Fitzpatrick won a Test series in South Africa for the first time, ending a 75-year wait dating back to that 1921 tour. From 1996 the two teams also began meeting every year inside a structured southern-hemisphere competition, first the Tri Nations and, from 2012, the expanded Rugby Championship. You can read more about that tournament in our guide to the Rugby Championship.
What is the all-time All Blacks vs Springboks record?
As of September 2026 the two teams have played 114 Tests: New Zealand has won 64, South Africa has won 46, and four have been drawn. That gives the All Blacks a win rate of about 56% in the fixture, against roughly 40% for the Springboks. New Zealand therefore leads the head-to-head, but by a smaller margin than against almost any other opponent, which is why the rivalry is so often called rugby’s most even. The full match-by-match ledger is maintained on Wikipedia.
Head-to-Head Record
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand All Blacks | 114 | 64 | 4 | 46 | 56.1% |
| South Africa Springboks | 114 | 46 | 4 | 64 | 40.4% |
What the numbers show
The headline figure to watch is the gap in wins, currently 18. It has widened and narrowed across the decades rather than moving in one direction. New Zealand pulled clear during long unbeaten runs in the 2010s, while South Africa has closed ground since winning the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, culminating in its 2026 series win. Draws are rare — only four in more than a century — which reflects how decisive most of these Tests are.
The matches that defined the rivalry
A handful of results stand out from the 114 Tests, either for their margin or for what was riding on them. The two below are the ones most often cited when the rivalry is discussed.
The 57-0 Test at Albany in 2017
New Zealand’s largest win over South Africa came on 16 September 2017 at North Harbour Stadium in Albany, where the All Blacks won 57-0. It remains the heaviest defeat in Springbok history. New Zealand scored eight tries and kept South Africa scoreless, a rare outcome between two sides usually separated by a single score. For more record margins, see our piece on the All Blacks’ biggest win.
The 2026 series and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Trophy
The most recent chapter came in 2026, when the All Blacks toured South Africa for a four-Test series. South Africa won it 3-1, taking the last three Tests after losing the opener, including a landmark match played in Baltimore in the United States on 12 September 2026 — the first Test between the two nations staged in North America. That series also decided the newly created Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Trophy, which South Africa became the first side to hold. It was a reminder that New Zealand’s overall lead does not guarantee results in any given year.
Which trophies are at stake?
Several pieces of silverware can change hands when the teams meet, which is part of why every Test carries weight.
- The Freedom Cup: a dedicated trophy for the fixture. It was first contested as a one-off in 2004, won by South Africa, and has been played for annually since 2009. It marks the shared history of the two nations.
- The Rugby Championship: the annual southern-hemisphere tournament between New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina, in which most modern All Blacks vs Springboks Tests are now played.
- The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Trophy: introduced for the 2026 four-Test series and first won by South Africa.
The fixture sits alongside New Zealand’s other great annual rivalry, the trans-Tasman contest for the Bledisloe Cup against Australia. Together they frame the All Blacks’ season.
How do the two teams play differently?
The rivalry endures partly because the teams have long favoured contrasting styles, so each Test becomes a contest of approaches as much as of players. New Zealand has traditionally built its game on speed, ball movement and continuity, aiming to keep the ball alive and stretch defences across the field. South Africa has typically leaned on a powerful set-piece, a strong kicking game and physical forward carries, aiming to control territory and apply pressure through the pack.
Neither approach is fixed — both sides borrow from the other when it suits — but the broad difference explains why matches often swing on which team can impose its preferred tempo. South Africa’s use of a heavily forward-loaded replacements bench, nicknamed the “Bomb Squad,” is a modern example of the physical, set-piece-first philosophy in action.
The set-piece battle
The scrum and lineout — the set pieces used to restart play — are where the stylistic difference is clearest. A dominant scrum can win penalties, relieve pressure and tire opponents, so South Africa has often used it as an attacking weapon in its own right. New Zealand tends to prioritise a stable, legal platform that lets its backs launch quickly. When the Springbok pack gets on top, the game slows and tightens; when the All Blacks secure fast, clean ball, it speeds up and spreads wide.
Why does the haka matter to this fixture?
Before kickoff the All Blacks perform a haka, a Maori ceremonial challenge, choosing between the traditional “Ka Mate” and “Kapa o Pango,” which was written for the team in 2005. Against South Africa, one of the few opponents that consistently meets the challenge with its own show of intent, the moment carries extra charge and has become part of the rivalry’s identity.
For New Zealand the haka is a genuine cultural expression rather than a pre-match performance, connecting the current side to those who wore the jersey before them. It sets the emotional tone for a fixture both teams treat as the measure of where they stand.
Where are these Tests played?
In New Zealand, home Tests against South Africa are usually staged at the largest grounds, and Eden Park in Auckland is the most storied of them, a venue where the All Blacks have an exceptionally long unbeaten record. In South Africa the Tests move between high-altitude venues such as Ellis Park and FNB Stadium in Johannesburg and Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, and sea-level grounds like Cape Town Stadium. Altitude is a real factor: visiting teams must cope with thinner air on the Highveld, which can affect both fitness and the flight of the ball.
Who leads the teams?
Leadership has shaped the rivalry as much as any single result. On the New Zealand side, Richie McCaw captained the All Blacks in a record 110 Tests across a long career, many of them against South Africa, and set a standard at the breakdown that defined an era. You can explore the wider history of All Blacks captains and the current coaching setup in our guide to the All Blacks head coach.
Coaching continuity has mattered too. New Zealand’s move in the 2000s toward shared, senior-player leadership — rather than a single captain issuing every instruction — helped the side stay composed under pressure, which is often the difference in Tests this tight.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who has won more matches, the All Blacks or the Springboks?
New Zealand leads. As of September 2026 the teams have played 114 Tests, with the All Blacks winning 64, South Africa winning 46 and four drawn. That is a narrower margin than the All Blacks hold over almost any other opponent.
When was the first All Blacks vs Springboks Test?
The first Test was on 13 August 1921 at Carisbrook in Dunedin, which New Zealand won 13-5. South Africa levelled the three-Test series and it finished drawn 1-1, setting the pattern for a closely matched rivalry.
What is the biggest win in the rivalry?
New Zealand’s 57-0 victory on 16 September 2017 at North Harbour Stadium in Albany is the largest margin in the fixture and remains the heaviest defeat in Springbok history.
Who won the 2026 series?
South Africa won the 2026 four-Test series 3-1, losing the opener before winning the next three, including a Test in Baltimore in the United States on 12 September 2026. The result made South Africa the first holder of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Trophy.
What trophies do the teams play for?
The main trophy specific to the fixture is the Freedom Cup, first contested in 2004 and played annually since 2009. Their Tests also usually count toward the Rugby Championship, and the 2026 series introduced the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Trophy.