Test 1: South Africa vs All Blacks
New Zealand 33 – 16 South Africa
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test 1, Ellis Park, Johannesburg, August 22, 2026. Half-time: 13-12.
Try scorers: New Zealand: Will Jordan (2), Josh Moorby, Fabian Holland, Luke Jacobson. Ruben Love 4 conversions. South Africa: Andre Esterhuizen. Cheslin Kolbe 3 penalties, 1 conversion.
The match: South Africa opened the scoring with a fourth-minute Kolbe penalty and controlled territory and possession for long periods in the first half, pounding the All Blacks' scrum to extract four penalties. Yet despite that dominance, they could only lead 13-12 at half-time, with Will Jordan having dived over in the right corner after a Cam Roigard lineout drive in the eighth minute, and Josh Moorby touching down on the left edge after a Tupou Vaa'i break. Two HIAs in the 37th minute, when props Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord clashed heads while tackling, forced the introduction of George Bower and Simon Parker, with Vaa'i switching to lock. The Springboks added a penalty early in the second half to lead 16-12 before everything changed.
On 47 minutes, Fabian Holland charged down a clearing kick from Grant Williams inside the Springboks' 22, beat the last defender and dived over to give the All Blacks a 19-16 lead they would not surrender. The introduction of props Fletcher Newell and Asafo Aumua immediately relieved the scrum pressure that had threatened to unravel the All Blacks. Quinn Tupaea then executed a superb 50/22, the All Blacks drove to the Springbok line, and Luke Jacobson powered over in the 58th minute. Will Jordan completed the scoring with his second try in the 74th minute. Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach were both yellow-carded inside the final 10 minutes for cynical professional fouls, leaving South Africa with 13 men as the All Blacks ran out 33-16 winners.
The significance: It ended South Africa's 12-Test winning streak. The victory was built on 39 percent territory but 56 percent possession and 14 turnovers won to five. Pieter-Steph du Toit, who captained the Springboks in the absence of Siya Kolisi, said: "We shot ourselves in the foot. In a game like this, small errors count."
LIPPY'S VIEW
With the amount of pressure the All Blacks were absorbing, I felt that they just would not be able to handle that for the entire match. The Bok scrums were tearing them apart with penalty after penalty, they were killing the All Blacks at the breakdown, and when Esterhuizen bulldozed himself over for the first early Bok try, I thought this was going to be a tough day at the office for the All Blacks. But with tremendous resilience and organized defense, they were able to sustain the pressure and go into the half just one point down.
The match really turned on some very key plays, as these contests between the two countries usually do. Fabian Holland's try after charging down Grant Williams' clearance kick. Around the 55th minute, when the Springboks had the All Blacks pack going back and down scrum after scrum and continued to opt for an additional scrum after 3 successive penalties. This would have left the All Blacks down a man and giving away seven points. But on the fourth attempt, the Boks' front row infringed. The All Blacks were able to clear, and at that point you could see the tide had turned. The All Blacks looked like they were floating on air, and the Springboks' body language changed completely.
The third critical factor was the Springboks' front-row change and the All Blacks bringing on their replacements. Their scrums settled down, they were no longer playing off the back foot, and this gave them the momentum to launch more dynamic attacks and put an end to the penalties they were giving away at scrum time. Then Quinn Tupaea made up for being Esterhuizen's speed bump early in the game by executing an amazing 50/22, resulting in a resilient and healthy Luke Jacobson powering over.
I actually think that the Springboks losing this first match will turn out to be a good wake-up call, and much better to get this gut check now than at the World Cup next year. The match exposed areas of vulnerability and dismissed the aura of invincibility that has been built around this team. I have no doubt Rassie will build on this realization. Not being number one for now suits him as a coach and will create a spark for more introspection, and I can't wait to see how they respond.
Rassie Erasmus was extremely humble at the after-match, and I think this will make the series the remarkable event we are all hoping for. With me planning to attend the final match in Baltimore, I hope that match will be a decider for either team. So I hope the Boks take at least one, so my match will have true consequences. What a privilege to be watching these two remarkable teams, great players, amazing coaches with remarkable cultures and true respect for each other. The best of what rugby can be.
Around the Grounds: What the Pundits Are Saying
World Rugby rankings update: The official World Rugby site continues to display South Africa at number one because the rankings portal only updates once a week on Monday mornings. Although the All Blacks defeated the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park, shifting the live mathematical points to place New Zealand at 94.03 and South Africa at 92.21, the official platform reflects the standings from the previous week until its scheduled weekly refresh.
Global media reaction to Test 1:
"Magnificent pressure absorption by the All Blacks upset all the pre-Test predictions to lay the foundation for an outstanding 33-16 win. It was a game fully representative of all 105 years of contact between the sides. When it came down to tactical finesse, ball security and opportunities taken, the All Blacks enjoyed a five tries to one advantage. South Africa's power game dominated the first 45 minutes, yet they couldn't turn that into a game-winning points advantage."
allblacks.com"The All Blacks have pulled off an extraordinary victory with a burst of 21 unanswered points which left an undisciplined home side broken and bereft. They have now won the last three of their four Tests at South Africa's high citadel of rugby and sent a message that this team has resilience and depth of character along with innovation and ambition."
1News New Zealand"The All Blacks took full advantage of the hosts' numerous handling errors and ill discipline for a statement victory that ended a 12-match winning streak for the Springboks and will rock the confidence of the world champions."
Times Live, South Africa"There are rugby fixtures, and then there is Springboks versus All Blacks. Every other rivalry in the sport sits a tier below. For sheer weight of history, quality of rugby, and the feeling that something genuinely matters every time these two sides walk out together, nothing comes close."
Rugbystuff.comErasmus faces selection questions: The RugbyPass panel noted that Rassie Erasmus now faces significant decisions for Test 2 in Cape Town. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was largely peripheral and the Springbok backline's attacking accuracy was poor under pressure. The question of Siya Kolisi's fitness remains: if he can return, his leadership at the breakdown and in defense would be a significant upgrade. South Africa's failure to convert scrum penalties into tries, rather than relying on Kolbe's boot, was identified as the defining tactical miscalculation of the evening.
All Blacks confirmed healthy: Both Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord passed their HIAs and are available for the Lions match on Tuesday August 25 and Test 2 next Saturday. Damian McKenzie played all 80 minutes and appeared untroubled by his earlier ankle concern.
Michael Cheika confirmed as Waratahs head coach: The NSW Waratahs formally announced on August 19 that Michael Cheika will return as head coach, a dozen years after guiding the franchise to its only Super Rugby title in 2014. The 59-year-old will start in November after completing his commitment to coach Lebanon at the Rugby League World Cup. Cheika left the Wallabies role after a quarterfinal exit at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and went on to steer Argentina to the semifinals at the 2023 World Cup in France.
NPC: Round 4 Results
Northland 36 – 12 Canterbury
NPC R4, Thursday Aug 20. Northland win the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1978, ending a 48-year wait. Canterbury's reign lasted just 11 days.
Hawke's Bay 59 – 17 Manawatu
NPC R4, Friday Aug 21. Nine tries. Hawke's Bay extend their lead at the top with a dominant display.
Tasman 46 – 17 Southland
NPC R4, Saturday Aug 22. Tasman impressive with a bonus-point win at Trafalgar Park.
North Harbour 27 – 19 Auckland
NPC R4, Saturday Aug 22. North Harbour continue their impressive form at North Harbour Stadium.
Bay of Plenty 28 – 24 Taranaki
NPC R4, Saturday Aug 22. Bay of Plenty edge a tight contest in Rotorua.
Waikato 45 – 12 Counties Manukau
NPC R4, Saturday Aug 22. Waikato dominant at FMG Stadium Waikato.
Otago 61 – 22 Wellington
NPC R4, Sunday Aug 23. A statement win from Otago at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Wellington remain winless after four rounds.
The Shield heads north: Northland ended a 48-year wait for the Ranfurly Shield, winning 36-12 in Christchurch and cutting Canterbury's tenure to just 11 days. They had not beaten Canterbury since 1999. Rob Rush scored twice, including the sealing try in the 80th minute. Fans packed Whangarei Airport to welcome the team home. Hawke's Bay remain in a class of their own at the top.
| NPC Standings After Round 4 (Top 7 of 14) | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawke's Bay | 4 | 4 | 0 | +105 | 20 |
| Northland | 4 | 3 | 1 | +89 | 17 |
| North Harbour | 4 | 3 | 1 | +86 | 17 |
| Waikato | 4 | 3 | 1 | +50 | 17 |
| Otago | 4 | 3 | 1 | +64 | 16 |
| Tasman | 4 | 3 | 1 | +15 | 15 |
| Canterbury | 4 | 3 | 1 | -8 | 14 |
Hawke's Bay lead with a perfect 4-0 record. Full standings at npc.rugby.
Currie Cup: Round 6 Results
Griquas 38 – 14 Pumas
Currie Cup R6, Friday Aug 21. Griquas move clear at the top with a bonus-point win at Mbombela Stadium.
Stormers XXIII 50 – 26 Blue Bulls
Currie Cup R6, Friday Aug 21. Stormers XXIII run riot against the winless Blue Bulls.
Sharks XV 22 – 22 Lions
Currie Cup R6, Friday Aug 21. A hard-fought draw. Both sides earn a bonus point.
Cheetahs 33 – 24 Boland
Currie Cup R6, Sunday Aug 23. Cheetahs stay in touch with Griquas. One point separates the top two.
| Currie Cup After Round 6 | P | W | D | L | PD | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griquas | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | +97 | 6 | 26 |
| Cheetahs | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | +45 | 5 | 25 |
| Pumas | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -20 | 5 | 17 |
| Boland | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | +40 | 4 | 16 |
| Stormers XXIII | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -27 | 4 | 16 |
| Lions | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +23 | 5 | 15 |
| Sharks XV | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -55 | 3 | 13 |
| Blue Bulls | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -103 | 5 | 5 |
Griquas lead Cheetahs by one point heading into the final round.
Looking Ahead
Tuesday August 25: Rugby's Greatest Rivalry. All Blacks vs Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Richie Mo'unga expected to start at flyhalf.
Saturday August 29: Rugby's Greatest Rivalry. TEST 2: Springboks vs All Blacks, Cape Town Stadium. All Blacks lead the series 1-0.
NPC Round 5 begins Thursday August 27.
Currie Cup Round 7: the final round of the regular season. This weekend.