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The Springboks and the All Blacks are set to battle it out on Saturday, 22 August, at Ellis Park in the opening match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. This will be the first of four matches in the series. New Zealand will be out for redemption following their 10-43 loss during their last meeting.
The Springboks are the reigning back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions, having lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019 and 2023. They currently sit at No. 1 in the world rankings, with New Zealand ranked No. 2.
With the match taking place at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa will be confident of setting the tone for the series. The hosts head into the opening Test as slight favourites, with home advantage, recent dominance in the rivalry and their physical style of play all working in their favour.
The match will take place this Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 17:00 at Ellis Park Stadium. Fans who are unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on SuperSport Rugby (DStv Channel 211). The match will also be available to stream live via the DStv Stream app, allowing viewers to follow the action wherever they are.
South Africa have been in strong form recently, winning their last four Tests against England 45-21, Scotland 42-28, Wales 43-0 and Argentina 17-10. They have shown impressive attacking power and physicality, while their defence has also been solid. Although there are still areas to improve, the Springboks head into the New Zealand series with plenty of confidence.
New Zealand have made a strong start to their South African tour, beating the Stormers 38-21 before cruising to a 54-0 victory over the Sharks. These wins have helped the All Blacks adjust to the conditions, but facing the world champions will provide a much tougher challenge.
The Springboks have dominated the All Blacks in their last five encounters, having won four while the visitors have only managed to salvage one victory. That match ended 24-17 on 6 September 2025 at Eden Park in Wellington.
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Anton Segner, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Leroy Carter.
New Zealand/South Africa at 38/10
Even though the odds are in favour of South Africa given their long-standing winning streak, it is worth noting that New Zealand are a formidable team capable of causing an upset and should not be counted out, given their recent massive victories against three South African teams.
