The Greatest Rivalry Guide
What is Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour?
The inaugural Greatest Rivalry tour sees the New Zealand All Blacks travel to South Africa for an eight-match programme.
New Zealand will face four South African franchise teams — the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions — before playing the Springboks in a four-Test series.
The Tests series will take place in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Baltimore, USA.
The Black Ferns will also take centre stage on the tour, with one of the top sides in the women’s international game set to face the Women’s Springboks in a highly anticipated clash ahead of the third Test in Johannesburg. Providing a great chance to promote the women’s game.
This makes the tour much more than a traditional Test series. It is designed to revive the old-style rugby tours in which international teams travelled for several weeks and played both provincial and international opposition.
Why is the tour happening?
One of the main reasons is to bring back a tradition that has largely disappeared from professional rugby.
The All Blacks have not undertaken a full-scale tour of South Africa since 1996, making the 2026 visit particularly significant. It also comes as the international rugby calendar undergoes changes, creating space for a longer South Africa-New Zealand series.
There is also a major commercial opportunity. A multi-week tour provides additional matches, broadcast opportunities and greater engagement for supporters in both countries.
The fourth Test in Baltimore also gives the rivalry an opportunity to reach a new American audience and promote rugby in one of the sport’s key emerging markets.
Who is touring?
The All Blacks are the touring side in 2026.
They will spend several weeks in South Africa, facing the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions before their four Tests against the Springboks.
The roles will then be reversed.
In 2030, the Springboks are scheduled to tour New Zealand, with the intention being for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry to alternate between the two countries.
How often will the tour take place?
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is planned as a four-yearly event.
The current schedule is:
- 2026: New Zealand tour South Africa
- 2030: South Africa tour New Zealand
- 2034: New Zealand tour South Africa
The four-year cycle helps distinguish the tour from the regular Rugby Championship meetings between the two nations and gives supporters a major event to anticipate.
Why are the Springboks and All Blacks such great rivals?
The rivalry goes far beyond statistics.
South Africa and New Zealand are two of the most successful nations in rugby history, and their matches have repeatedly been played at the highest level.
The two sides also represent different rugby traditions. New Zealand have traditionally been associated with attacking skill and creativity, while South Africa have become renowned for physicality, tactical discipline and an exceptional ability to perform under pressure.
But both teams have evolved, which is why their meetings remain so unpredictable.
The rivalry has also produced some of rugby’s most iconic moments, including the 1995 World Cup final in Johannesburg, when South Africa defeated New Zealand in one of the most famous matches in sporting history.
How often will the tour take place?
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is planned as a four-yearly event.
The current schedule is:
- 2026: New Zealand tour South Africa
- 2030: South Africa tour New Zealand
- 2034: New Zealand tour South Africa
The four-year cycle helps distinguish the tour from the regular Rugby Championship meetings between the two nations and gives supporters a major event to anticipate.
Why are the Springboks and All Blacks such great rivals?
The rivalry goes far beyond statistics.
South Africa and New Zealand are two of the most successful nations in rugby history, and their matches have repeatedly been played at the highest level.
The two sides also represent different rugby traditions. New Zealand have traditionally been associated with attacking skill and creativity, while South Africa have become renowned for physicality, tactical discipline and an exceptional ability to perform under pressure.
But both teams have evolved, which is why their meetings remain so unpredictable.
The rivalry has also produced some of rugby’s most iconic moments, including the 1995 World Cup final in Johannesburg, when South Africa defeated New Zealand in one of the most famous matches in sporting history.
Why does 2026 matter?
The 2026 tour represents a return to something rugby has been missing: the traditional international tour.
Instead of simply playing a few Tests, the All Blacks will travel around South Africa, face local opposition and then battle the Springboks across four Tests.
For New Zealand, it is an opportunity to experience South African rugby in depth. For the Springboks, it is a chance to defend their home record against their greatest rivals.
And with the final Test taking place in Baltimore, the tour will also take one of rugby’s oldest rivalries onto a new stage.
The future of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry
If the concept succeeds, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry could become one of the most distinctive events on the international rugby calendar.
The history is already there. The Springboks and All Blacks have spent more than a century creating one of sport’s great rivalries.
Now, the 2026 tour gives that rivalry a new format — and potentially a new tradition.
South Africa vs New Zealand isn’t just another rugby fixture. It’s rugby’s greatest rivalry, back on tour.
FIXTURES
7th of August: Stormers vs All Blacks, Cape Town
11th of August: Sharks vs All Blacks, Durban
15th of August: Bulls vs All Blacks, Pretoria
22nd of August: Springboks vs All Blacks 1st Test, Johannesburg
25th of August: Lions vs All Blacks, Johannesburg
29th of August: Springboks vs All Blacks 2nd Test, Cape Town
5th of September: Springbok Women vs Blacks Ferns, Johannesburg
5th of September: Springboks vs All Blacks 3rd Test, Johannesburg
12th of September: Springboks vs All Blacks 4th Test, Baltimore, USA