Springboks to meet All Blacks in USA for first time

World champions South Africa will face their greatest rivals New Zealand in the United States for the first time when they lock horns in Baltimore in August, SA Rugby announced on Thursday.

The two sides, who between them have won seven of the 10 World Cups contested since the inaugural one in 1987, will meet in the deciding Test of a four-match series at the 71,000 capacity M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, on September 12.

The first three Tests in the series will take place in South Africa with two matches in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town. The second of the Johannesburg matches at the FNB Stadium will be a double-header with the two women’s teams also playing.

“With fans getting the opportunity to see the Boks in action against the All Blacks in three home Tests, the chance to share the excitement in the US is an exciting one, compounded by the fact that both men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup will be heading to the US in a few years’ time,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.

Both the Springboks and the All Blacks have a history of playing matches on US soil.

New Zealand have played numerous games in Chicago in recent years taking on Ireland and USA, as well as matches in San Diego and Washington DC.

South Africa faced the USA in Houston in 2001 and visited Washington DC in 2018 to face Wales.

The USA is due to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women’s edition in 2033.