South Africa has secured a 3-1 series victory over New Zealand, defeating the All Blacks 43-28 in the fourth Test match held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The result fulfills the prediction made by Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and restores South Africa’s dominance in the series. Although New Zealand surged to the top of the world rankings after winning the opening leg in Johannesburg, the reigning world champions demonstrated superior cohesion, power, and consistency to clinch the series.
The match attracted a near-capacity attendance of 68,173, marking the largest crowd ever to witness a rugby union game in the United States. The contest served as a rigorous test for both nations as they prepare for next year’s Rugby World Cup, a tournament they have dominated over the past five editions.
New Zealand started aggressively, breaking through South Africa’s blitz defense with rapid backline movements to award hooker Codie Taylor the opening try just eight minutes into the first half. However, the Springboks leveraged their forward pack’s dominance in the scrum and collision play to respond. Damian de Allende scored from close range, followed by a dummy run and burst from scrum-half Morne van den Berg that left Sam Darry behind, giving South Africa a 17-7 lead.
South Africa appeared poised to extend their advantage, but fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed opportunities, including a drop-goal attempt and a misplaced pass near the corner. New Zealand narrowed the gap before halftime when Will Jordan, the country’s all-time leading try-scorer, grounded the ball after a sustained 32-phase effort.
Despite trailing by four points at the break, South Africa reasserted control after the interval. Malcolm Marx scored from a rolling maul, and three minutes later, Pieter-Steph du Toit crossed the line following a sharp break from Van den Berg. Ethan Blackadder’s second-half try cut the margin to eight points, but the high tempo of the game opened up space for South Africa to seal the win. Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom added late tries, rendering Beauden Barrett’s substitute appearance too little, too late.
Beauden Barrett came off the bench too late. Does this loss signal the end of an era for the All Blacks?
Bailey Smith’s prediction was spot on. The Springboks looked like world champions again tonight, no doubt about it.
Is it just me, or did New Zealand completely underestimate South Africa’s forward dominance after that first win?
What a day for rugby in America! That crowd size proves the sport’s growing popularity across the pond.