All Blacks unbeaten in warm-ups as South Africa tour begins with first Test in Johannesburg on Saturday
New Zealand remained unbeaten in their warm-up matches on the All Blacks' tour of South Africa as they prepare to play the first Test in Johannesburg on Saturday in a three-Test series staged after this year's Rugby Championship was cancelled to make room for the tour.
The tour follows the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, a match the article says separated South Africa and New Zealand as the Springboks went back-to-back to become the first nation to win the title four times; South Africa sit top of the world rankings and have won back-to-back Rugby Championships, while the All Blacks were world champions in 2011 and 2015. The multi-week Test visit is being billed as rare in the modern game and has been described as the "Greatest Rivalry" tour.
Dave Rennie, three Tests into his reign as New Zealand coach, has overseen an attack-minded period that produced wins over France, Italy and Ireland this summer, but the article states the Tests against South Africa will provide the true examination of his side. The All Blacks have won just four Tests in South Africa since 2016 and their last away series victory in South Africa came in 1996, according to the report.
New Zealand's tour form included a 50-19 win over the Bulls and a 54-0 victory over the Sharks, with comfortable results also recorded against the Stormers, though the piece cautions little can be taken from wins against weakened South African franchise sides. Will Jordan and Cam Roigard have yet to feature on tour but are expected to be fit for Saturday's first Test in Johannesburg.
The Springboks have been world number one since November 2024, with July victories over England, Scotland and Wales followed by a win against Argentina in Buenos Aires; the article specifically records South Africa's 45-21 victory over England in July. South Africa's recent international results and ranking are presented as part of the case that they are the game's current dominant force.
Commercial and structural considerations are a key reason for the tour: the report says South Africa and New Zealand want to create a product that can financially rival British and Irish Lions tours and expect to make millions in profits from the joint venture, noting that last year's Lions tour made Australia Rugby $35m in profit, wiping out debts of £17.9m. A Deloitte report cited in the article described the Super Rugby Pacific model as "under strain economically, commercially, and in delivering on its high performance purpose," stated all five New Zealand clubs were cumulatively unprofitable across the past six years, and recorded Hurricanes losses of $1.4m in 2023 and almost $2m in 2025.
The piece also details wider scheduling and alignment issues: the global calendar announced in 2021 was not expected before 2024 and is still yet to appear, and the launch of the Nations Championship was only a step towards it with France sending a weakened side to New Zealand in July after a long season. South Africa's move from Super Rugby to the United Rugby Championship in 2021, while continuing to play Tests in a southern hemisphere competition, is presented as adding complexity, and New Zealand have lost players to Japan and Europe with Richie Mo'unga, Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane having recently spent time outside the country; the All Blacks maintain a policy that players must play in New Zealand to be considered for selection.
The published schedule lists South Africa v New Zealand at Ellis Park, Johannesburg (16:10 BST), followed on the same day by Lions v All Blacks at Ellis Park, Johannesburg (18:00 BST), then South Africa v New Zealand at DHL Stadium, Cape Town (16:10 BST), South Africa v New Zealand at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (16:10 BST), and a fourth Test not part of the official series at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (22:00 BST), with the Baltimore match described as the first Test between the two rivals on American soil; tours will be staged every four years with New Zealand next hosting the Springboks in 2030.