South Africa beat New Zealand 43–28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, 12 September, to win the four-Test Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3–1. The Springboks scored six tries to the All Blacks' four and turned a narrow 17–14 halftime lead into a decisive victory.
New Zealand captain Codie Taylor scored the opening try after eight minutes, but Damian de Allende answered for South Africa before scrum-half Morné van den Berg darted through from a lineout attack. Will Jordan completed a 32-phase New Zealand move before the interval, leaving the match finely balanced.
The contest shifted immediately after halftime. South Africa introduced fresh forwards early, won a scrum penalty and drove Malcolm Marx over from the resulting lineout. Two minutes later, Van den Berg's break created the position for Pieter-Steph du Toit to score, stretching the lead to 29–14.
Ethan Blackadder's try brought New Zealand back within eight points in the final quarter. The recovery did not last: Kurt-Lee Arendse turned broken play into a long-range score before replacement Cameron Hanekom added South Africa's sixth try. Beauden Barrett crossed late for the All Blacks, but the series had already been decided.
The confirmed 3–1 result matters because the series began with a New Zealand victory in Johannesburg. South Africa then won three Tests on successive weekends to reverse the early setback. The Baltimore match also concluded New Zealand's eight-match, six-week tour, the first tour of its kind in South Africa in three decades.
Reuters reported an attendance of 68,173 at the home of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. Staging the finale in the United States gave both unions a commercial showcase in a country due to host the men's Rugby World Cup in 2031, though one large crowd does not by itself establish the sport's long-term American audience.
For the Springboks, the performance showed more than forward power. The six tries came through centres, a scrum-half, forwards and a wing, while the decisive second-half spell combined the replacement pack's set-piece pressure with quicker attacking opportunities. That range will be closely watched as coach Rassie Erasmus continues building towards 2027.
New Zealand's own match report described South Africa as more clinical with the chances it created and acknowledged the All Blacks' struggle for continuity. That assessment is evidence from one series, not a final judgment on either team's World Cup prospects. Injuries, selection and form can change substantially over the next year.
The immediate record is clear: South Africa won in Baltimore, took the series 3–1 and retained its leading position in the rivalry's latest chapter. The more durable significance will depend on whether the attacking variety and squad depth displayed over four demanding weekends carry into the next global tournament.
