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

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?

Overall, New Zealand lead the head-to-head 62-40 since the first Test in 1921. While there is a 22-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 52 games played with the All Blacks claiming 25 wins, South Africa 26 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.

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.

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.