Springboks arrive in Australia to prepare for the match against the Wallabies as part of pre-World Cup preparations

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and his teammates achieved an impressive result against the All Blacks led by Russell Erasmus, further solidifying the team's dominance over their arch-rival.

The triumphant series for the Springboks, with a score of 3:1 against the All Blacks, revealed a significant gap between these two Southern Hemisphere giants. After the fourth test in the greatest rugby rivalry in Baltimore, where the world champions won 43:28 and secured their first trophy, it is becoming increasingly difficult to claim that these two teams are evenly matched.

The Boks are now operating at a different level, and even the mighty representatives of New Zealand are struggling to keep up. To win three consecutive matches against the All Blacks requires a special team, and this is exactly what the Boks did, concluding the series after a loss in the first match at Ellis Park in August. However, three dominant performances, backed by immense squad depth, allowed them to defeat their bitter rivals.

Squad depth is the defining advantage of the Springboks

What makes the defeat of the world's second-ranked team even more significant is that in the last 10 encounters, the Springboks have won eight times, while the All Blacks have managed only two victories—one in Auckland and one in Ellis Park.

Meanwhile, the Boks have dominated them, especially in the match where they crushed the team 35:7 in Twickenham, the 43:10 victory in Wellington, and the latest win in Baltimore. This indicates that the evolution of the Springboks machine has surpassed the development of the mighty black team, and they are currently dominating their competitors. It is almost unheard of for the New Zealanders to lose three consecutive matches to the same team, let alone eight out of the last ten meetings against them.

However, this is the current situation between the two sides. And the most worrying thing is that in none of the Greatest Rivalry matches were the Boks playing at their best level. Issues such as lineup changes due to injuries, uncharacteristic errors, inability to convert numerous attacks in the 22-meter zone into points, and a high number of penalties slowed down the Springboks at various times. Nevertheless, even making these mistakes, the world champions find a way to win.

This is what currently distinguishes the teams: the depth of the Boks' squad, the ability of all players to fulfill any role, and the quality of that depth. New Zealand has failed to catch up over four tests, and injuries have severely undermined them, with the loss of captain Ardie Savea in the third match likely being the most significant. South Africa has shown them how to cope and win despite various changes, and this kind of depth is currently unprecedented in world rugby. The task now is to continue moving in this direction. Erasmus has demonstrated that they can change tactics and still beat the best in the world.

A warning for the 2027 World Cup

Before the matches against the Wallabies and Italy, before they meet France and Ireland in the Nations Cup, opportunities open up for further squad experimentation from Erasmus and his management. If they manage to include players such as Paul de Villiers, Cameron Hanekom, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Vessels, Morne van den Berg, Ntutuku Mchunu, Zack Porten, Ben-Jason Dixon, Ethan Hooker, and Edwill van der Merwe, it will put the Boks in an even stronger position ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The Boks have already won the World Cup, defeated the All Blacks on home soil, dominated them in South Africa, and crushed them on neutral ground. More importantly, they did this with different combinations, different players, and under different circumstances. Perhaps this is the biggest wake-up call for the rest of the world: this Springboks team is not just beating the All Blacks—it is building sustainable dominance over them, making it a dangerous contender. Currently, the New Zealanders are chasing the world champions, and Erasmus and his management will want to maintain this state for many years to come.

The Springboks team is forced to wait to celebrate their victory in the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' tournament before their fans, as they still have to play a match against the Wallabies in Perth before they can return to South Africa.

After a convincing 43-28 victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore on Saturday, the world champions will not return home immediately after completing the memorable 3-1 series.

Instead, the Springboks will travel directly from the United States to Australia, where they are scheduled to face the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, September 27th, with the match starting at 5:45 AM South African time.

This means that Rasmus Erasmus's team will spend the next couple of weeks in Perth, preparing for another important test match. Furthermore, this could be an ideal opportunity for the management to scout for the 2027 Rugby World Cup ahead of defending the title in Australia.

For the Boks, the immediate priority is now maintaining winning momentum against Australia, rather than celebrating the success against their main rival.

The four-match 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' series presented Springboks and All Blacks with another exciting chapter in their rich history. South Africa lost the first match at Ellis Park stadium but then won at DHL Stadium in Cape Town and FNB Stadium in Soweto, securing an undeniable 2-1 advantage in front of nearly 90,000 fans.

Subsequently, the team traveled to Baltimore, where they achieved one of the most impressive attacking victories of the year, defeating New Zealand 43-28 and winning their debut four-match series 3-1.

Although three of the four matches were played in front of passionate home crowds in Johannesburg and Cape Town, these fans will now face a wait before they can celebrate the latest acquisition by the Springboks, which was secured in front of more than 68,000 people at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ahead of the upcoming match against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium on Saturday, Springboks players have shown confidence similar to that before a World Cup playoff. The team approaches this confrontation, dubbed the 'Clash in the Calabash,' with a mentality that helped them win major trophies.

Assistant coach Mzwandile Stik noted that the team is employing the same tactics that helped them win in the most significant tournaments. In their recent history, there has often been a decisive response following an early defeat.

The Springboks lost their first match against the All Blacks at Ellis Park but managed to balance the series by playing in Cape Town last week. Now that the series score is 1–1, they head to Soccer City, knowing that a victory will bring them closer to winning the series.

Approach to the Series

Stik stated: 'From the beginning, we said we would treat this series like a World Cup playoff campaign.' This mindset explains the stability of the Springboks squad this week, as only changes due to injuries were made to the team that defeated New Zealand in Cape Town.

The All Blacks, in turn, draw confidence from their past success at Highveld in the professional era. Stik understands that the team will not be intimidated by the altitude, and he is also aware of what is at stake for New Zealand. He added: 'If they win tomorrow, they will claim they beat us 2–1 on our ground, so we know exactly what drives them. We also want to defend what we represent as South Africans.'

He emphasized that regardless of the outcome, the winner will gain a real chance to win the broader series during the fourth match in Baltimore, while the losing team will only be able to level the score. Both teams will desperately need a result.

Tactical Aspects of the Match

Stik expects the battle to be very tough, especially in the contest for the ball after contact. 'We were weak in the ball contest in the first match, but we didn't concede any in the second. We still want to improve our play in this area because we know they will target it again with selected players. If we want to create opportunities, we must be clinical in this regard.'

The Springboks also plan to utilize their traditional strengths to limit the attacking potential of the All Blacks. Stik noted: 'Set-piece play is one of our biggest attacking platforms; we want to move forward, we have never been a team that bypasses contact, so if we get opportunities in the scrum or lineout, we will try to dominate.'

He continued that New Zealand will want to keep the ball in play and avoid contesting the ball and set pieces, which aligns with their game plan, but the Springboks know what suits them better.

The South Africans previously followed a similar path to success: they lost matches in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, as well as the 2021 British & Irish Lions series, but then responded with an unbeaten run and ultimately lifted the trophy.

Stik explained that the changes made after the first match were mainly forced, and some were due to injuries. He added that the players understand the series plan, as in such situations at the World Cup, you always want to field the strongest available squad. Although some young players who got a chance to shine were unlucky, several veterans returned from injury and immediately took their positions.

The All Blacks have made adjustments to their squad, although Stik believes the core of their team remains unchanged. 'New Zealand has made a few changes, but you probably know their best 23-man squad, and the core of their team hasn't changed much. They have combinations that work.'

Since the series is tense, Stik believes it lives up to all expectations. 'This rivalry justifies its name, perhaps the best in the world historically, and people get value for their tickets because you never know who will win.'