South Africa vs New Zealand Rugby Union Head-to-Head & Stats - How the numbers stack up in rugby's greatest rivalry

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 09 Sep 2024

Ralph Staniforth 09 Sep 2024

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South Africa and New Zealand have met on 106 occasions
It is widely considered the biggest rivalry in Rugby Union
The first Test between New Zealand and the Springboks took place in 1921

Greatest rugby union rivalry (Getty Images)

The Springboks and All Blacks have met on 108 occasions in Rugby Union and the fixture is widely considered the biggest match up in the sport.

Even for those who disagree, it cannot be argued that these two nations have dominated the sport, winning seven of the 10 World Cup’s between them.

New Zealand and South Africa have a rich history in the sport and have played some of the most iconic test matches against each other, including two Rugby World Cup finals.

But how do they stack up in terms of numbers?

Head-to-Head Record

Overall, New Zealand lead the head-to-head 62-42 since the first Test in 1921. While there is a 20-game lead, no other nation has a remotely similar record against the All Blacks.

On home soil, New Zealand have faced South Africa on 46 occasions, winning 33, losing 10 along with three draws.

In South Africa there have been 54 games played with the All Blacks claiming 25 wins, South Africa 28 and one draw.

They have met eight times at a neutral venue, each with four wins. In total points scored at a neutral venue, South Africa have scored 157 and New Zealand 156 – it does not get closer than that.

Info	Played	Won by New Zealand	Won by South Africa	Drawn
Overall	108	62	43	4
In New Zealand	46	33	10	3
In South Africa	54	25	28	1
Neutral	8	4	4	0

Last 10 Results

Date	Result	Score	Venue	Country
6 Oct 2018	South Africa Won	32-30	Loftus Versfeld	South Africa
27 Jul 2019	Draw	16-16	Wellington Regional Stadium	New Zealand
21 Sep 2019	New Zealand Won	23-13	Yokohama Stadium	Japan
25 Sep 2021	New Zealand Won	19-17	Queensland Stadium	Australia
2 Oct 2021	South Africa Won	29-31	Robina Stadium	Australia
6 Aug 2022	South Africa Won	26-10	Mbombela Stadium	South Africa
13 Aug 2022	New Zealand Won	23-35	Ellis Park	South Africa
15 July 2023	New Zealand Won	35-20	Mount Smart Stadium	New Zealand
25 Aug 2023	South Africa Won	7-35	Twickenham	England
28 Oct 2023	South Africa Won	11-12	Stade de France	France
31 Aug 2024	South Africa Won	31-27	Emirates Airline Mark	South Africa
7 Sep 2024	South Africa Won	18-12	Cape Town Stadium	South Africa

Records

While there have been many tightly contested Test matches between the All Blacks and Springboks, there have also been occasions on which the opposition just weren’t up to speed.

New Zealand’s biggest win against the Boks came in 2017 when they humiliated Alistair Coetzee’s side 57-0. Prior to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, South Africa achieved their biggest winning margin against the All Blacks, winning 35-7 at Twickenham.

In Rugby World Cup’s, the two sides have met on six occasions with both winning three. South Africa won both World Cup finals against the All Blacks – 15-12 in 1995 and 12-11 in 2023.

In the five series they have played (which took place prior to the Rugby Championship and Tri Nations inception), the teams have won five series each with two draws.

As things stand at the conclusion of their 2024 fixtures, South Africa have won their last four matches against New Zealand. That is the longest stretch of wins for the Springboks over the All Blacks since 1949.

Icons

Both sides have had a number of rugby icons over the years. We can go way back into history, but over the last 30 years, who can forget Joel Stransky's drop goal to seal the 1995 Rugby World Cup on home soil?

Another player in that 1999 final, Jonah Lomu, who has now unfortunately passed on, was a hero to many, not just from his native New Zealand. But, for his is fabulous records, he never managed to score a try against South Africa in a Test match.

Dan Carter remains the top points scorer in this fixture with 221 points, he is followed by Andrew Mehrtens with 209. Third place is held by a current All Black, Beauden Barrett (174). The first South African on the list is Handre Pollard with 109 points.

A name still mentioned today in rugby circles is that of Christian Cullen. The elusive fullback scored 10 tries against South Africa and no one has managed to top that feat. Joek Rokocoko scored nine and Bryan Habana eight.