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Key events
Half-time: South Africa 17-14 New Zealand
What a half! A big hit on Blackadder causes a rupture in the ABs line. Marx pounces and then there’s a side-entry from NZ so SA get a penalty. SFM tries to eke out some extra metres with his kick but overcooks it. In truth, the SA 10 has made a few howlers.
A tame end to what was a frenetic, exhilarating half of rugby. Brilliance from both teams.
Back in a bit.
40+1 min: Roigard kicks the ball out, but SA gave away a scrum penalty so Mo’unga gets a chance to kick it down town to set up a NZ line-out. This could be big. NZ with the last throw of the dice before the break.
39 min: Etzebeth charges down a Roigard clearing box inside NZ’s 22, but there was too much on it and it dribbled out of play. Mo’unga goes deep with the goal-line drop out and Wiese carries hard. Then Marx. Can SA land a blow? Nope, the ball is spilled by Willemse down the left wing. Good hit that from J Barrett to force the mistake. Time for one more NZ scrum before half-time.
TRY! South Africa 17-14 New Zealand (Jordan, 38)
Who else but Jordan!? When New Zealand needed to turn all that pressure into a score, they turned to their record try scorer. Unbelievable patience from the All Blacks. 32 phases and eventually, after the penalty advantage allowed them to show a bit of something extra, they went out the back and Jordan, from a different post-code, hit the line at serious pace, wriggled through a couple of tacklers and dotted down under the poles. The simple conversion reduces the gap to three.
36 min: 25 phases! Blackadder came close but still they come and the green wall holds. Now advantage after Wiese is off-side. No dice yet, though. NZ with it as we get to 30 phases. Unreal.
35 min: Taylor plays a one-two at the line-out and goes down the tram himself after getting the ball back. He’s well tackled. The Abs have stalled though, having played 14 phases for an additional two metres. Still, they have the ball inside SA’s 22.
32 min: Willemse hoists a high kick and chases it himself to win the ball in the air. But that good work is undone by SFM who shanks a kick straight out of touch. NZ will throw to the line on halfway. They almost lose it but just about come away with it. In fact they get a penalty as a jumper was played in the air. Mo’unga has free ball. J Barrett finds Taylor on the right wing with a kick. Marx makes a steal but it was still a penalty advantage so NZ will get the chance to put the ball down inside SA’s patch.
29 min: SFM lines up a drop goal but misses. He has it back as he has to scamper to clean up a long AB kick. Between SFM and Willemse and Arendse, the SA backs are playing like they’re on the beach, jinking and dummying, wow, it’s entertaining. Then a high hoist from van den Berg is put on the edge of NZ’s 22 and it’s spilled by Hooker. NZ with the scrum on their 22. They need another swift exit, which they get thanks to Roigard who has shone so far.
27 min: NZ come up with a steal inside their own 22. Vaa’i with the steal after a brilliant counter from SA – sparked by Willemse who off-loaded round his back to Arendse, as well as carries by de Allende and Wiese – took the Boks within touching distance. But just as they were building through the phases, Vaa’i got over the ball and made a massive steal. But the clearing kick doesn’t find touch so SA come right back at them.
25 min: Great defence from NZ. They were scrambling when Kriel hit a short pass at pace but he was munched by two tacklers and lost it forward. Scrum to NZ on their own 22. They need to find a spark as Taylor’s head is bleeding heavily after copping a blow from de Allende’s knee. He looks like he’s gone five rounds in the Octagon.
25 min: Mo’unga is smoked by Etzebeth but not before he got the pass away. NZ show good hands until the lose it and SA come back at them. Willemse makes ground after contact and then SFM launche a high contestable that Hooker gathers. They go down the short side on the left with PS du Toit and de Allende carries to the edge of the 22.
TRY! South Africa 17-7 New Zealand (van den Berg, 22)
The little scrummie snipes! The Boks set the five metre maul and get to work. NZ are penalised for a side entry so SA have a free shot. Van den Berg shapes to pass down the line but dummies and explodes off his left foot and through a gap around the mass of bodies in front of him. SFM then converts to open a 10-point lead.
20 min: OK, we’re back. Wiese runs hard and bulldozes a poor tackler in front of him. Down the line, Willemse goes to the toe but it takes a defelction and NZ aer on it. Roigard hoists a high kick, Willemse catches and is nailed by Leinert-Brown. Van den Berg boxes it back. Moorby gathers and is hit by Arendse. But Roigard explodes down the right wing. Did Roigard play that illegally? Possibly, the ball was played on the ground and the penalty goes against them. Not Roigard, but someone swatted it away from the ruck and into his path. SFM nudges it to the corner to set up a line-out within touching distance in the right corner.
“The All Blacks must be too scared to go old school,” says Wessel Burger in Amsterdam.
Maybe they’re worried about a ‘home field’ decision. Baltimore has turned green for the Boks.
The TMO link to the referee is broken.
Both teams have to agree to carry on without it. Apparently South Africa have said yes but New Zealand have said no.
Not ideal for the big US rugby advert.
Then again, sports fans across the pond are used to breaks in play.
This is going on far too long.
19 min: Not sure what is going on. The players are ready but the ref is not. We’re seeing loads of crowd shots and my guess would be it’s 90% Springboks.
19 min: SFM had the distance, but not the accuracy as he slices it, skewing the shot wide and beyond the dead ball area.
Something is awry with the ref’s mic – or some other technical glitch – so there’s a short break.
17 min: This is such a frenetic game. Really living up to the hype. McKenzie gathered the ball and decided to go on his own but he’s met by a double hit from PS du Toit and Etzebeth (imagine!) and he spills. The scrum is awarded to SA and they eke out a penalty right on halfway. SFM fancies this in the muggy Baltimore air and will take a shot at the poles.
TRY! South Africa 10-7 New Zealand (de Allende, 15)
16 phases and the Boks are over! De Allende must have carried about 8 times in that passage and deserves the score. The scrum was deemed unplayable so SA got the free-kick. Van den Berg tapped and fired a pass. Wiese and de Allende carried into the 22. SFM wriggled through a gap and van den Berg almost got there on his own with a little snipe. The big boys carried well before it opened for de Allende, who also played a cute pass off the shoulder for Kriel in the build-up. Lovely rugby, direct and aggressive. SFM slots the extras as the Boks hit back.
12 min: That’s a huge territory win for NZ. The scrum went sideways but it held. Roigard picked up off the back and raked a long kick that Arendse had no choice but to field and kick. But the ABs lose the ball in contact shortly after the line-out and SA counter before Hooker shoots a grubber up-field. McKenzie fields and attempts a cross-kick to Lienert-Brown who dropped it above his head as he was getting ready to run up the wing. Scrum to SA just beyond NZ’s 22 with no blind-side to their left.
Phew, hope you got all that. What a mad passage of play.
10 min: NZ exit well thanks to Mo’unga showing bravery inside his 22, floating a pass down to Jordan on the right wing. Willemse fields a long kick and returns it with interest before Etzebeth steals the subsequent line-out. De Allende spills in contact as he’s hit by Lienert-Brown, so we’ll have the first scrum of the game. NZ will feed around halfway.
TRY! South Africa 3-7 New Zealand (Taylor, 8)
The skipper scores! New Zealand deserve that. Brilliant from them. The handling is next level. They go through the hands and find McKenzie on the left wing who steps back in-field off the tram but is cut down by Willemse and Marx on the cover. But NZ keep it alive and taylor hits the line at an angle and finds the gap to score. McKenzie dusts himself off to slot a tricky conversion from the left wing. Excellent rugby from New Zealand. Mo’unga all over this.
7 min: ABs set their attack and show lovely hands as they go right and then left again, but Nortje spots an opportunity and picks a turnover inside his own 22 after Nche made a strong tackle on Lakai and Etzebeth cleaned up. But the ABs are back on the ball after Vaai’i wins a line-out at the back. NZ mauling on the edge of SA’s 22.
5 min: Great exit from the Boks off the restart. Willemse so secure at the back. NZ win the subsequent line-out and maul to the edge of the Boks 22. But the ball out the back is sloppy, though J Barrett tidies up. De Groot gets a short pass and hits the line hard. Blackadder goes down the short side, then Moorby on the left. He’s not let go so they get a penalty and Roigard taps and goes.
Penalty! South Africa 3-0 New Zealand (Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 4)
First blood to the Boks.
3 min: Another penalty, this time for a high shot on SFM. Off the line-out they kept the ball and kept it thrumming. Van den Berg is having a sharp game so far. De Allende made good ground, as did Marx. Then SFM straightened and drew a high shot after a dummy. This is in range so he’ll take aim at the sticks.
1 min: Electric start from the Boks! They secure the kick-off and play a nifty little wraparound move with van den Berg sparking a break down the left with Hooker in the tram. Nche made ground with a strong run before the ABs strayed off-side. Sacha Feinberg-Mnomezulu (SFM) tried to dink a kick to Arendse on the right wing but it didn’t stick. So SFM finds touch in ABs half.
Kick-off!
One last time, here we go!
Mo’unga, on his comeback, gets us underway
Codie Taylor, in his first game as Test skipper, leads the Haka.
Loads of emotion from the players as the anthems are sung.
Hate to venture into cliche land, but try telling them that this is just a ‘money game’.
Although it is narrow for a rugby pitch.
They’re using every inch available to them but this will be tighter than usual. Will that help the Boks?
There’s also a very small goal area. Clearing kicks could be a precarious act.
It does look like an incredible arena.
As the Fifa World Cup proved, stadiums in the US are on another level.
And of course, they’re kicking things off with the Star Spangled Banner.
Loads more Springboks jerseys than All Blacks in the stands.
Some info on the venue:
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M&T Bank Stadium is a 71,000-capacity NFL venue and the home of the Baltimore Ravens.
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The pitch has been laid over the Ravens’ usual playing surface.
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The stadium is known locally as “The Bank”. It has 142 suites and more than 8,000 club seats, which helps explain the decision to stage it here.
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The Baltimore Ravens are operated by Steve Bisciotti – with a net-worth north of $10bil – who first bought a minority stake in the franchise in 2000 before completing his majority purchase in 2004.
I know what you’re thinking: ‘Why is this game between South Africa and New Zealand being played in Baltimore?’
Good question. There are three answers.
It’s going to make a lot of money. Some reports suggest up to $8mil more than if the game was staged in South Africa. And with both SA and NZ splitting the revenue of the tour 50-50, they’re both more than happy to get that dolla!
Secondly, World Rugby, who have helped with the marketing and other logistics for this one, are keen to grow the sport in the US ahead of the 2031 World Cup. They’d like a stronger US national team, but they’ll be more than happy if enough American sports fans take an interest in these two juggernauts and spend money on tickets in five years.
Finally, the Boks and All Blacks are keen to grow their own brands in this relatively untapped market. NZ have already played two games in the US (both against Ireland) in recent years and the Boks have turned Twickenham in a home away from home. They seen themselves as the two most marketable properties in the sport – and there’s no denying they’re the two most successful sides – and they’d like to maxmise their earning potential.
Take a read of Martin Pengelly’s preview:
New Zealand team
Dave Rennie has made seven changes with the standout switch at fly-half.
Richie Mo’unga, one of the best 10s in the game, one of the best 10s in All Blacks history, starts for the first time since the 2023 World Cup final (where he was magnificent).
There are six other changes for this one.
Codie Taylor captains as Ardie Savea is out injured having copped a nasty blow from Malcolm Marx at a ruck. Taylor is part of a new front row alongside. Ethan de Groot and Fletcher Newell, while Patrick Tuipulotu comes into the second row to partner Sam Darry.
Tupou Vaa’i moves to blindside flanker, Ethan Blackadder comes in at openside and Peter Lakai starts at No 8.
Anton Lienert-Brown replaces the injured Quinn Tupaea at inside centre, while Josh Moorby comes in for Leroy Carter on the left wing.
The experienced Reiko Ioane and Beauden Barrett will start off the bench.
New Zealand: Damian McKenzie; Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, Jordie Barrett, Josh Moorby; Richie Mo’unga, Cam Roigard; Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor (captain), Fletcher Newell, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Darry, Tupou Vaa’i, Ethan Blackadder, Peter Lakai.
Replacements: Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia, Tyrel Lomax, Josh Lord, Wallace Sititi, Kyle Preston, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett.
South Africa team
Proving that the series is still on the line, the Springboks have made only two changes to the side that won in Soweto.
The fit-again Damian Willemse returns at full-back in place of Cheslin Kolbe, who broke his jaw in the third Test.
Morné van den Berg is the other change, promoted to scrum-half with Cobus Reinach moving to the bench. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu remains at fly-half, while the midfield combination of Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende is retained.
Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw remain together in what must be the most formidable front row going, with Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortjé behind them. Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi and Jasper Wiese extend their record as the most-capped back-row trio in Springboks history.
South Africa: Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morné van den Berg; Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Wilco Louw, Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortje, Siya Kolisi (cap), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, André Esterhuizen, Cameron Hanekom, Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
At last we come to the end of an epic series.
Six weeks ago the New Zealand All Blacks arrived in South Africa with a point to prove and a dynasty to topple.
They got things going with a 38-31 win over the Stormers of Cape Town before sweeping the Sharks of Durban 54-0 in the rain, where the All Black legend Ma’a Nonu performed a solo Haka against his former team.
Another tune-up win over the Bulls from Pretoria – a 50-19 drubbing – proved their readiness. Could they handle the double world champion Springboks on their own patch?
They answered emphatically with a stunning attacking display in Johannesburg, scoring three second-half tries in a 33-16 triumph.
Would Rassie Erasmus come up with a riposte? You bet. After a build-up that included some heated words exchanged from both camps, the Springboks roared back to win 33-26 in Cape Town. Though a close shave before kick-off stole most of the post-match headlines.
With the series squared at 1-1, there was a lot riding on the Test in Soweto. New Zealand had the better start but the Boks’ extra heft proved the difference. The 29-24 scoreline did not reflect the home team’s dominance.
This Test in Baltimore, USA, is officially the series decider. A win for New Zealand would see the trophy split in two, with both teams taking a half each. Some pundits and fans have suggested that this is little more than a money-spinner, that the real series has already been wrapped up.
But this remains a contest between the two best teams in the sport. They could play on the far side of Uranus and they would still want to tear lumps out of each other.
This is indeed rugby’s greatest rivalry and the on-field action has lived up to the billing. Once more, then, the old enemies meet – this time beneath the Baltimore lights, with South Africa seeking to finish the job and New Zealand fighting to salvage a share of the spoils.
The stage is set. Let’s get this show on the road.
Kick-off at 10pm BST/5pm in Baltimore.
Teams and further updates to come.
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