Springboks Beat All Blacks 43-28 In Baltimore To Seal 3-1 Series Triumph
The Springboks have completed a 3–1 series victory over the All Blacks after beating New Zealand 43–28 in a thrilling final Test in Baltimore, Maryland.
South Africa scored six tries at M&T Bank Stadium as they secured a third consecutive victory over their greatest rivals following defeat in the opening match of the four-Test series.
The Springboks led 17–14 at half-time before pulling clear in the second half through tries from Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
New Zealand fought back, but late tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom put the contest beyond the All Blacks before Beauden Barrett crossed for a consolation try in the closing stages.
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The result completed an emphatic recovery from South Africa after the Springboks lost the opening Test 33–16 at Ellis Park.
They responded by beating New Zealand 33–26 in Cape Town and 29–24 at FNB Stadium before completing the series triumph in the United States.
Six-Try Springboks Overpower All Blacks
South Africa opened the scoring through a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty before New Zealand responded with the first try of the match through Codie Taylor.
The Springboks then began applying sustained pressure to the All Blacks defence.
Damian de Allende crossed for South Africa’s opening try after playing a prominent role in the attacking movement that created the opportunity.
Scrumhalf Morné van den Berg added another after the Springboks attacked from a lineout and rolling maul, helping South Africa establish the advantage.
New Zealand refused to allow the Springboks to pull away.
Will Jordan finished an extraordinary 32-phase attack shortly before half-time to cut South Africa’s advantage to three points and leave the Test finely balanced at 17–14.
Marx And Du Toit Put Boks In Control
The Springboks emerged from the interval with renewed intensity.
Marx scored from the back of a rolling maul early in the second half before Du Toit finished an attacking movement that had begun deep inside South African territory.
Van den Berg broke down the blindside during the move before combining with Feinberg-Mngomezulu and André Esterhuizen to create the opportunity for Du Toit.
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The try pushed South Africa’s advantage to 29–14.
New Zealand again responded when Ethan Blackadder crossed to reduce the deficit and keep the All Blacks in the contest.
The Springboks were then forced to withstand another period of New Zealand pressure as the visitors attempted to turn the momentum of the match.
Arendse Try Helps Settle Contest
One of the decisive moments arrived when replacement flank Cameron Hanekom brought down Josh Moorby as New Zealand attacked.
The loose ball eventually fell to Arendse, who launched a long-range counterattack and raced through the All Blacks defence to score.
Hanekom then added South Africa’s sixth try late in the match, effectively putting the result beyond New Zealand.
Barrett crossed for the All Blacks in the final minute, but the outcome had already been decided.
South Africa finished with tries from De Allende, Van den Berg, Marx, Du Toit, Arendse and Hanekom.
Taylor, Jordan, Blackadder and Barrett scored New Zealand’s four tries.
Springboks Take Series 3–1
The victory completed three consecutive wins for South Africa after their opening defeat at Ellis Park.
The Springboks won the four-Test series 3–1, further strengthening their recent record against New Zealand.
The series also provided another indication of how closely matched the two rugby powers could be heading towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
New Zealand demonstrated its attacking threat throughout the series and repeatedly fought its way back into matches when South Africa appeared to be taking control.
But when the decisive moments arrived in Baltimore, the Springboks again found a way to pull clear.
The series triumph leaves South Africa with another major victory over their traditional rivals and reinforces the Springboks’ position as the team to beat heading towards their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup in 2027.
Final Score: South Africa 43–28 New Zealand
South Africa Tries: Damian de Allende, Morné van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cameron Hanekom
New Zealand Tries: Codie Taylor, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder, Beauden Barrett
