Rugby's Greatest Rivalry: Springboks vs All Blacks 2026

Greatest Rivalry in Rugby: Every Fixture

It's called “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry,” and we don't disagree with that title one bit. Mostly because after 105 years of incredible rugby, nobody in their right mind would argue with either the Springboks or the All Blacks. Eight matches, five weeks, four South African franchises, and four Tests are all confirmed.

Your Game Day Braai Checklist

Five weeks of this is a marathon, not a sprint. Here's how we're doing it:

1. Get your friends together early. Eight matches means eight excuses to have people over.

2. Pull out your Donkey Long Tong 80cm and the Fire Apron. A long tour deserves a long tong.

3. Stock up on lamb chops and boerewors early.

4. Light the fire roughly an hour before kick-off to ensure everyone gets to your place on time.

In 2026, for the first time in 30 years, New Zealand aren't just popping over to South Africa for a quick Rugby Championship match. They're touring. This tour includes eight matches over five weeks in four provinces over four tests. All for the Freedom Cup.

We've got the full schedule below. Every date, kick-off and venue.

But first, let's talk a bit more about the history behind the rivalry, starting with the two things South Africans and New Zealanders agree on: rugby and fire.

Lamp by Lighthouse. Location: The Room Key Churchhaven 

A Century of Rugby: The Springboks vs All Blacks Story

This didn't start in 2026. It started on 13 August 1921, in Dunedin, when the All Blacks beat a touring Springbok side 13-5 in the very first Test between the two nations. The series was drawn 1-1-1, which, looking back, set the tone for the next hundred years.

It took New Zealand 35 years to win their first series against South Africa, in 1956. It took them until 1996 (the year the Tri-Nations began) to win a series on South African soil. For 80 years, from 1921 to 2000, the head-to-head was a dead heat: New Zealand led by a single match, 27 wins to 26.

By the end of the 2025 Tests, the two sides had met 110 times. New Zealand lead the overall record 63 wins to South Africa's 43, with 4 draws. But records like that don't tell you what it feels like to watch it. South Africa's biggest ever win over the All Blacks came as recently as 13 September 2025, a 43-10 win in Wellington.

2026 adds three new chapters to that history: it's the first time the series has ever been played over four Tests instead of two or three, the first time a month-long tour has happened between the two nations since the Tri-Nations replaced them in 1996, and the first time these two teams have ever met on American soil. The fourth Test, in Baltimore, is a genuine first.

Location: The Room Key Churchhaven 

Braai vs Hangi: Two Totally Different Relationships With Fire

Both nations cook with fire, just in different ways. 

A hangi is cooked underground. It's a Māori tradition going back nearly a thousand years: a pit, heated stones, meat and vegetables wrapped and lowered in, then covered over and left to steam for hours. Mutton, pork, chicken, kumara, pumpkin, seasoned with native herbs like horopito. It takes a while. You dig, you wait and you trust the earth to do the work.

A braai is the opposite kind of fire. Open flame made with wood or charcoal, with the meat cooked in full view, right over the coals. Boerewors, lamb chops, steak. It's immediate, loud and if you're not standing over the fire with tongs in hand, you're not really braaiing.

Different flame, same result: everyone eating well together.

Location: The Room Key Churchhaven 

Let’s support South Africa the best way we know how: with cheers, meat, and a roaring fire.

Because when the South African Rugby fixtures roll in, your braai becomes your stadium. So whether you're prepping for rugby this weekend, planning around rugby fixtures today, or just looking to keep the gees alive, we’ve got your rugby timetable sorted.

FAQ - Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour 2026

Location: The Room Key Churchhaven