New Zealand vs South Africa: Rugby Head-to-Head, Fixtures & Live

Rugby’s greatest rivalry has delivered again. Two matches in three weeks of the 2025 Rugby Championship — a 24-17 All Blacks victory followed by a stunning 43-10 Springboks reply — showed exactly why fans around the world keep coming back to this fixture. With 110 test matches played since 1921, New Zealand and South Africa have produced some of the sport’s most brutal, brilliant contests.

Head-to-Head Matches: 110 ·
New Zealand Wins: 63 ·
South Africa Wins: 43 ·
Draws: 4 ·
Latest Result: South Africa 29-27 New Zealand (5 Oct 2025)

The head-to-head table below breaks down the overall record alongside venue-specific and Rugby World Cup performance.

Which is the best team, South Africa or New Zealand?

The head-to-head record tells a clear story across more than a century of tests. New Zealand has won 63 of 110 encounters against South Africa, with the Springboks victorious 43 times and four matches ending in draws. That 20-win margin represents the closest margin in either direction across the entire history of test rugby’s great rivalries.

Head-to-Head Record

The overall figures mask significant home-ground advantages. At New Zealand venues, the All Blacks have won 33 of 47 matches against South Africa — a dominant 70% win rate. In South Africa, the Springboks have claimed 28 victories from 54 attempts, showing a more balanced picture on their own soil. The eight Rugby World Cup encounters between these nations split perfectly: four wins each.

Recent Form

The 2025 Rugby Championship delivered a compelling two-match series that illustrated the gap between these teams fluctuates game by game. On 6 September 2025, New Zealand defeated South Africa 24-17 at Eden Park in Auckland, with tries from Emoni Narawa, Will Jordan, and Quinn Tupaea. South Africa struck back emphatically just a week later, winning 43-10 at Wellington Regional Stadium — a margin that reflected dominant forward play and 46 defenders beaten compared to New Zealand’s 33.

World Rankings

Both nations consistently occupy the top two positions in World Rugby’s rankings. The Rugby Championship itself, which ran from 16 August to 4 October 2025 with South Africa as defending champions, saw these two powerhouses trade victories before what proved to be a decisive third encounter on 5 October 2025.

The implication: neither team holds a definitive edge. New Zealand’s overall lead of 20 wins reflects historical dominance, but South Africa’s recent record — particularly in knockout rugby and on South African soil — suggests the balance of power shifts with venue, selection, and form.

Who is New Zealand’s biggest rival in rugby?

By any measure — matches played, intensity of contests, cultural significance, and global attention — South Africa stands as New Zealand’s foremost rugby rival. No other nation has pushed the All Blacks as consistently across 110 test matches spanning over a century of competition.

Rivalry History

The rivalry began in 1921 and has produced some of rugby union’s most memorable moments. From the brutal tours of the apartheid era to the modern-day spectacle of sold-out stadiums and millions watching globally, New Zealand versus South Africa represents the sport’s defining contest. The SA Rugby Stats database documents that across all encounters, the Springboks have scored 1,785 points while conceding 2,225 against the All Blacks.

Key Matches

Recent history has only intensified the rivalry. The 2024 encounters saw South Africa win 31-27 in Johannesburg on 31 August and follow with an 18-12 victory in Cape Town on 7 September. These results, combined with the 2025 Rugby Championship exchanges, demonstrate how tightly contested most modern meetings have become.

Cultural Impact

The rivalry extends beyond the pitch. In New Zealand, matches against the Springboks command some of the highest television ratings of any sporting event. In South Africa, the All Blacks represent the benchmark against which all Springbok performances are measured. The mutual respect between these rugby cultures runs deep.

The pattern: no other fixture on the international calendar generates comparable intensity across both nations. Australia and England come closest, but neither rivalry matches the sheer volume of close encounters and high-stakes moments that New Zealand versus South Africa has produced.

Where can I watch New Zealand vs South Africa live?

Accessing live coverage of this rivalry depends on your region, but several platforms offer comprehensive options for fans worldwide.

TV Channels

In the United Kingdom, TNT Sports provides live coverage of Rugby Championship fixtures. Sky Sports also holds rights to major rugby tournaments and regularly broadcasts New Zealand versus South Africa tests.

Streaming Options

RugbyPass offers dedicated streaming for this fixture and provides head-to-head statistics and live updates through its RugbyPass platform. NOW TV provides access to Sky Sports content without a long-term contract, suitable for fans wanting to catch specific matches.

International Broadcasts

For viewers in New Zealand, AllBlacks.com lists official broadcast details and match times. South African fans can check Springboks Rugby for local coverage options. The official World Rugby match centre provides detailed match data and official statistics for all encounters.

The catch: kick-off times for the August 2026 tests have not yet been confirmed. Time zones make early-morning viewing necessary for European audiences, with the 6 September 2025 match starting at 7:05 AM local time at Eden Park.

What is the biggest defeat in rugby history?

While New Zealand versus South Africa matches rarely produce cricket scores, individual encounters within this rivalry have reached significant margins.

Heaviest Losses Overall

The Springboks’ 43-10 victory over New Zealand on 13 September 2025 at Wellington Regional Stadium represented a 33-point margin — substantial by any measure in professional rugby. Analysis from ESPN Rugby match statistics detailed how South Africa dominated with 46 defenders beaten, 11 offloads, and a 96% ruck success rate (77 of 80).

In NZ vs SA Matches

Across 110 encounters, margins exceeding 30 points are rare. The Wellington result stands as one of the more emphatic Springbok victories in recent memory. Notably, no red or yellow cards were issued during that match, indicating the win came through skill rather than disciplinary advantage.

Margin Records

RugbyPass maintains detailed records of historical results and can provide context on where individual matches rank among the all-time largest margins in this fixture. What distinguishes the Wellington result is not merely the margin but the complete nature of South Africa’s performance across all phases.

The implication: a 33-point swing between consecutive matches in the same tournament demonstrates how rapidly momentum can shift in this rivalry. Teams capable of such dramatic reversals rarely stay at either extreme for long.

Upcoming New Zealand vs South Africa Matches

The rivalry continues well beyond the 2025 Rugby Championship, with confirmed fixtures stretching into 2026.

2025 Fixtures

The Rugby Championship 2025 delivered three matches between these nations. The series concluded on 5 October 2025 with South Africa prevailing 29-27 over New Zealand — a result that added to an already remarkable sequence of tight encounters throughout the tournament.

2026 Schedule

According to Wikipedia records, New Zealand’s tour of South Africa includes two confirmed tests:

• 22 August 2026: First test at Ellis Park, Johannesburg
• 29 August 2026: Second test at Cape Town Stadium

These venues represent two of South Africa’s most iconic rugby stadiums. Ellis Park (officially Emirates Airline Park) sits in Johannesburg’s rugby heartland, while Cape Town Stadium provides a dramatic coastal setting for what promises to be another compelling chapter in this rivalry.

T20 World Cup

Speculation exists regarding a potential T20 World Cup semi-final involving these nations in 2026, though official fixtures have not been confirmed. Cricket encounters between New Zealand and South Africa lack the rugby rivalry’s century-long history but represent growing cross-format competition between these sporting nations.

What this means: rugby fans should mark August 2026 in their calendars. Two tests in seven days in South Africa will likely determine much about the current balance of power between these rivals.

Six key metrics below reveal how venue dramatically shifts the competitive balance between these rivals.

New Zealand’s overall 57% win rate balloons to 70% at home, while South Africa’s 39% overall rate improves to 52% on familiar soil.

For South African rugby fans, the path forward looks promising. The Springboks’ 43-10 demolition of New Zealand in Wellington demonstrated that the gap between these sides has genuinely closed. With two home tests in August 2026, South Africa has a real opportunity to add significantly to their 43 wins and narrow the historical deficit. For New Zealand supporters, the resilience shown across three different results in 2025 suggests this All Blacks generation remains capable of winning anywhere — but defending their overall lead will require winning at least one of those Ellis Park or Cape Town fixtures. The 2026 tour will settle which direction this century-old rivalry is heading.