It promises to be another epic encounter between these two great rugby nations.
The Springboks take on the All Blacks in the first of four Tests over the next month, at Ellis Park on Saturday. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The Springboks and All Blacks will clash for 111th time at Ellis Park on Saturday, in the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. The teams will meet again at the Cape Town Stadium, at the FNB Stadium and in Baltimore, USA in the fourth Test.
Here are all the bits of information you need to know going into Saturday’s Test.
- Springbok record against New Zealand: Played: 110, Won: 43, Lost: 63, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 850; Points against: 2 269; Tries scored: 181; Tries conceded: 248. Win %: 39%.
- Damian de Allende will become the 10th player in Bok history to feature in 100 Tests on Saturday after making his international debut against Argentina in 2014.
- Pieter-Steph du Toit, who will lead the team in his fourth Test this season, requires only one more appearance after this match to join the exclusive club of Springbok centurions, with the flanker running out in his 99th Test match this weekend.
- Prop Ox Nche will feature in his 49th Test match, leaving him only one match short of earning 50 Test matches, while Jasper Wiese requires only three more Test caps to earn his 50th cap.
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 143 caps when he takes the field.
- Manie Libbok requires only three more points to earn 150 international points.
- Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series marks the first time since 1996 that the All Blacks have embarked on a traditional rugby tour to South Africa.
- The last time the Springboks met the All Blacks in Johannesburg was in the Rugby Championship in 2024, with the Boks winning that match by 31-27.
- The Springboks have won five of the last six matches between the teams dating back to August 2023, which included the Rugby World Cup final in France that same year.
- The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 850. There are 373 caps in the backline, with 477 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 193 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 53, the forwards 60, while the players on the bench average 24.
