The All Blacks have lost the Greatest Rivalry Series 3–1 after suffering a 43-28 defeat to the Springboks in Baltimore.

The first half was tightly contested, with the Springboks holding a narrow 17–14 lead at halftime.

There was hope that the All Blacks would come out firing in the second half after carrying momentum into the break. However, the confidence and composure with which the Springboks played proved too much for the Kiwis.

Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit scored back-to-back tries to extend South Africa’s lead to 29–14.

Ethan Blackadder responded for the All Blacks, but the Springboks were too strong to allow New Zealand to regain momentum. The South Africans answered with two more tries to seal the victory.

Despite the losses, All Blacks captain Codie Taylor remains positive that the tour of South Africa has laid the foundation for future success.

“It’s been an awesome tour, we’ve learnt so much and I know this is going to set us up for what is ahead in the future.”

The All Blacks won the opening match of the series 33–16, raising hopes that New Zealand could reclaim the number one position in the world rankings.

However, Rassie Erasmus and his men had other plans, winning the next three matches to complete a dominant turnaround against the All Blacks.

This is the first time the All Blacks have lost three consecutive matches since 2022, when they suffered defeats to Ireland twice before losing to South Africa.

The All Blacks will now turn their attention to preparations for the Bledisloe Cup against Australia, which begins in a month.

BJ is a part-time sports reporter who loves rugby and rugby league. He has a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting from Waikato University. His rugby clubs are Fraser Tech in Hamilton, and Marist Rugby Club in Samoa. BJ is Samoa’s 59th Olympian having made the Rugby 7s team in 2024. BJ has signed to play for North Sydney in the Schute Shield in 2025.

Latest posts by BJ Telefoni Lima (see all)

Post Views: 2,673