History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and South Africa
New Zealand (the All Blacks) and South Africa (the Springboks) have been playing Test Match Rugby against each other since 1921 when the All Blacks beat the Springboks in Dunedin 13–5. It is argued to be the biggest rivalry in World Rugby history. There is considerable history behind these matches, much of it off the field. In 1981, there were numerous protests in New Zealand over the Springboks coming to tour New Zealand due to the then South African government's policy of Apartheid. Consequently, subsequent tours were cancelled and the All Blacks and Springboks did not meet again until August 1992, in Johannesburg, when the Springboks were re-admitted to World Rugby. Until 1996 New Zealand had never won a series in South Africa but South Africa had won a series in New Zealand in 1937.[citation needed]
Since 2004 New Zealand and South Africa have contested the Freedom Cup. It has remained a trophy contested annually in the Tri Nations Series/Rugby Championship since 2006.[1]
Summary
Overall
Details[a][3][4] | Played | Won by New Zealand |
Won by South Africa |
Drawn | New Zealand points | South Africa points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In New Zealand | 46 | 33 | 10 | 3 | 1,003 | 616 |
In South Africa | 52 | 25 | 26 | 1 | 1,037 | 967 |
Neutral venue | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 156 | 157 |
Overall | 106 | 62 | 40 | 4 | 2,196 | 1,740 |
Records
Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was or last set.
Record | New Zealand | South Africa |
---|---|---|
Longest winning streak | 8 (21 July 2001 – 14 August 2004) | 6 (4 September 1937 – 14 July 1956) |
World Cup Head to Head | ||
Final | 0 | 2 |
Overall | 3 | 3 |
Largest points for | ||
Home | 57 (16 September 2017) | 46 (19 August 2000) |
Away | 57 (8 October 2016) | 36 (15 September 2018) |
Largest winning margin | ||
Home | 57 (16 September 2017) | 17 (30 June 1928) |
Away | 42 (8 October 2016) | 12 (29 August 1981) |
Neutral | 20 (9 November 2003) | 28 (25 August 2023) |
Largest aggregate score | ||
90 (South Africa 35–55 New Zealand) (9 August 1997) |
Results
No. | Date | Venue | Score | Winner | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 August 1921 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 13–5 | ![]() |
1921 South Africa tour of Australia and New Zealand |
2 | 27 August 1921 | Eden Park, Auckland | 5–9 | ![]() | |
3 | 17 September 1921 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 0–0 | draw | |
4 | 30 June 1928 | Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban | 17–0 | ![]() |
1928 New Zealand tour of South Africa |
5 | 21 July 1928 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 6–7 | ![]() | |
6 | 18 August 1928 | Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth | 11–6 | ![]() | |
7 | 1 September 1928 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 5–13 | ![]() | |
8 | 14 August 1937 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 13–7 | ![]() |
1937 South Africa tour of Australia and New Zealand |
9 | 4 September 1937 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 6–13 | ![]() | |
10 | 25 September 1937 | Eden Park, Auckland | 6–17 | ![]() | |
11 | 16 July 1949 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 15–11 | ![]() |
1949 New Zealand tour of South Africa |
12 | 13 August 1949 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 12–6 | ![]() | |
13 | 3 September 1949 | Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban | 9–3 | ![]() | |
14 | 17 September 1949 | Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth | 11–8 | ![]() | |
15 | 14 July 1956 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 10–6 | ![]() |
1956 South Africa tour of Australia and New Zealand |
16 | 4 August 1956 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 3–8 | ![]() | |
17 | 18 August 1956 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 17–10 | ![]() | |
18 | 1 September 1956 | Eden Park, Auckland | 11–5 | ![]() | |
19 | 25 June 1960 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 13–0 | ![]() |
1960 New Zealand tour of Australia and South Africa |
20 | 23 July 1960 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 3–11 | ![]() | |
21 | 13 August 1960 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | 11–11 | draw | |
22 | 27 August 1960 | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth | 8–3 | ![]() | |
23 | 31 July 1965 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 6–3 | ![]() |
1965 South Africa tour of Australia and New Zealand |
24 | 21 August 1965 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 13–0 | ![]() | |
25 | 4 September 1965 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 16–19 | ![]() | |
26 | 18 September 1965 | Eden Park, Auckland | 20–3 | ![]() | |
27 | 25 July 1970 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | 17–6 | ![]() |
1970 New Zealand tour of South Africa |
28 | 8 August 1970 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 8–9 | ![]() | |
29 | 29 August 1970 | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth | 14–3 | ![]() | |
30 | 12 September 1970 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 20–17 | ![]() | |
31 | 24 July 1976 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 16–7 | ![]() |
1976 New Zealand tour of South Africa |
32 | 14 August 1976 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | 9–15 | ![]() | |
33 | 4 September 1976 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 15–10 | ![]() | |
34 | 18 September 1976 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 15–14 | ![]() | |
35 | 15 August 1981 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 14–9 | ![]() |
1981 South Africa tour of New Zealand and the United States |
36 | 29 August 1981 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 12–24 | ![]() | |
37 | 12 September 1981 | Eden Park, Auckland | 25–22 | ![]() | |
38 | 15 August 1992 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 24–27 | ![]() |
1992 New Zealand tour of Australia and South Africa |
39 | 9 July 1994 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 22–14 | ![]() |
1994 South Africa tour of New Zealand |
40 | 23 July 1994 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 13–9 | ![]() | |
41 | 6 August 1994 | Eden Park, Auckland | 18–18 | draw | |
42 | 24 June 1995 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 15–12 | ![]() |
1995 Rugby World Cup |
43 | 20 July 1996 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 15–11 | ![]() |
1996 Tri Nations Series |
44 | 10 August 1996 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 18–29 | ![]() | |
45 | 17 August 1996 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 19–23 | ![]() |
1996 New Zealand tour of South Africa |
46 | 24 August 1996 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | 26–33 | ![]() | |
47 | 31 August 1996 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 32–22 | ![]() | |
48 | 19 July 1997 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 32–35 | ![]() |
1997 Tri Nations Series |
49 | 9 August 1997 | Eden Park, Auckland | 55–35 | ![]() | |
50 | 25 July 1998 | Athletic Park, Wellington | 3–13 | ![]() |
1998 Tri Nations Series |
51 | 15 August 1998 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 24–23 | ![]() | |
52 | 10 July 1999 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 28–0 | ![]() |
1999 Tri Nations Series |
53 | 7 August 1999 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | 18–34 | ![]() | |
54 | 4 November 1999 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Wales) | 22–18 | ![]() |
1999 Rugby World Cup |
55 | 22 July 2000 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 25–12 | ![]() |
2000 Tri Nations Series |
56 | 19 August 2000 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 46–40 | ![]() | |
57 | 21 July 2001 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 3–12 | ![]() |
2001 Tri Nations Series |
58 | 25 August 2001 | Eden Park, Auckland | 26–15 | ![]() | |
59 | 20 July 2002 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 41–20 | ![]() |
2002 Tri Nations Series |
60 | 10 August 2002 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 23–30 | ![]() | |
61 | 19 July 2003 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | 16–52 | ![]() |
2003 Tri Nations Series |
62 | 9 August 2003 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 19–11 | ![]() | |
63 | 9 November 2003 | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne (Australia) | 29–9 | ![]() |
2003 Rugby World Cup |
64 | 24 July 2004 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 23–21 | ![]() |
2004 Tri Nations Series |
65 | 14 August 2004 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 40–26 | ![]() | |
66 | 6 August 2005 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 22–16 | ![]() |
2005 Tri Nations Series |
67 | 27 August 2005 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 31–27 | ![]() | |
68 | 22 July 2006 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 35–17 | ![]() |
2006 Tri Nations Series |
69 | 26 August 2006 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | 26–45 | ![]() | |
70 | 2 September 2006 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg | 21–20 | ![]() | |
71 | 23 June 2007 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 21–26 | ![]() |
2007 Tri Nations Series |
72 | 14 July 2007 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 33–6 | ![]() | |
73 | 5 July 2008 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 19–8 | ![]() |
2008 Tri Nations Series |
74 | 12 July 2008 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | 28–30 | ![]() | |
75 | 16 August 2008 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 0–19 | ![]() | |
76 | 25 July 2009 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | 28–19 | ![]() |
2009 Tri Nations Series |
77 | 1 August 2009 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 31–19 | ![]() | |
78 | 12 September 2009 | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | 29–32 | ![]() | |
79 | 10 July 2010 | Eden Park, Auckland | 32–12 | ![]() |
2010 Tri Nations Series |
80 | 17 July 2010 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 31–17 | ![]() | |
81 | 21 August 2010 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg | 22–29 | ![]() | |
82 | 30 July 2011 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 40–7 | ![]() |
2011 Tri Nations Series |
83 | 20 August 2011 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth | 18–5 | ![]() | |
84 | 15 September 2012 | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | 21–11 | ![]() |
2012 Rugby Championship |
85 | 6 October 2012 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg | 16–32 | ![]() | |
86 | 14 September 2013 | Eden Park, Auckland | 29–15 | ![]() |
2013 Rugby Championship |
87 | 5 October 2013 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 27–38 | ![]() | |
88 | 13 September 2014 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 14–10 | ![]() |
2014 Rugby Championship |
89 | 4 October 2014 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 27–25 | ![]() | |
90 | 25 July 2015 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 20–27 | ![]() |
2015 Rugby Championship |
91 | 24 October 2015 | Twickenham Stadium, London (England) | 18–20 | ![]() |
2015 Rugby World Cup |
92 | 17 September 2016 | Rugby League Park, Christchurch | 41–13 | ![]() |
2016 Rugby Championship |
93 | 8 October 2016 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 15–57 | ![]() | |
94 | 16 September 2017 | North Harbour Stadium, Albany | 57–0 | ![]() |
2017 Rugby Championship |
95 | 7 October 2017 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | 24–25 | ![]() | |
96 | 15 September 2018 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 34–36 | ![]() |
2018 Rugby Championship |
97 | 6 October 2018 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | 30–32 | ![]() | |
98 | 27 July 2019 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | 16–16 | draw | 2019 Rugby Championship |
99 | 21 September 2019 | International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama (Japan) | 23–13 | ![]() |
2019 Rugby World Cup |
100 | 25 September 2021 | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville (Australia)[b] | 19–17 | ![]() |
2021 Rugby Championship |
101 | 2 October 2021 | Robina Stadium, Gold Coast (Australia)[b] | 29–31 | ![]() | |
102 | 6 August 2022 | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | 26–10 | ![]() |
2022 Rugby Championship |
103 | 13 August 2022 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 23–35 | ![]() | |
104 | 15 July 2023 | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | 35–20 | ![]() |
2023 Rugby Championship |
105 | 25 August 2023 | Twickenham Stadium, London (England) | 7–35 | ![]() |
2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up match |
106 | 28 October 2023 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis (France) | 11–12 | ![]() |
2023 Rugby World Cup |
107 | 31 August 2024 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | 2024 Rugby Championship | ||
108 | 7 September 2024 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
List of series
Played | Won by New Zealand |
Won by South Africa |
Drawn |
---|---|---|---|
12 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
Year | New Zealand | South Africa | Series winner |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
1 | 1 | draw |
![]() |
2 | 2 | draw |
![]() |
1 | 2 | ![]() |
![]() |
0 | 4 | ![]() |
![]() |
3 | 1 | ![]() |
![]() |
1 | 2 | ![]() |
![]() |
3 | 1 | ![]() |
![]() |
1 | 3 | ![]() |
![]() |
1 | 3 | ![]() |
![]() |
2 | 1 | ![]() |
![]() |
2 | 0 | ![]() |
![]() |
2 | 1 | ![]() |
Venues
In New Zealand
Stadium | City | Won by New Zealand |
Won by South Africa |
Draw |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eden Park | Auckland | 7 | 2 | 1 |
North Harbour Stadium | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Overall | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
Lancaster Park | Christchurch | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Rugby League Park | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Overall | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
Carisbrook | Dunedin | 7 | 1 | 0 |
Forsyth Barr Stadium | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Overall | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
Waikato Stadium | Hamilton | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Overall | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Athletic Park | Wellington | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Wellington Regional Stadium | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
Overall | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Total | 32 | 10 | 3 |
In South Africa
Stadium | City | Won by South Africa |
Won by New Zealand |
Draw |
---|---|---|---|---|
Free State Stadium | Bloemfontein | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Overall | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Newlands | Cape Town | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Overall | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Kings Park Stadium | Durban | 5 | 4 | 0 |
Kingsmead | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Overall | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
Ellis Park | Johannesburg | 9 | 6 | 0 |
FNB Stadium | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Overall | 15 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
Mbombela Stadium | Mbombela | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Overall | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Boet Erasmus Stadium | Port Elizabeth | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Crusaders Ground | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Overall | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium | Pretoria | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Overall | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium | Rustenburg | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Overall | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 26 | 25 | 1 |
See also
Notes
- ^ For details to 2019:[2]
- ^ a b The 2021 Rugby Championship format was significantly altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, many matches were hosted in Australia.
References
- ^ "Tri-Nations review – 16 years of the Springboks". super.rugby. SANZAAR. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Pick and go – Rugby Union Test & Super14 results and statistics".
- ^ "Match Centre: New Zealand – South Africa". stats.allblacks.com.
- ^ "New Zealand rugby results, 1965–2023" (PDF). rugbyhistory.co.nz. New Zealand Rugby History.
External links
- Complete List of Results at ESPN
- New Zealand v South Africa Head to Head on Allblacks.com
- Statistics for New Zealand vs South Africa Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine on Rugbydata.com
- "Pick and Go Test match results database". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 25 November 2008.