South Africa Defeat New Zealand to Secure 3-1 Series Victory in Baltimore
- The world champions used a devastating second-half display in front of a capacity crowd of 71,000 to overcome the All Blacks, backed by total dominance at the breakdown,...
- The Springboks grabbed the opening points via a penalty from fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, but New Zealand responded swiftly on eight minutes when Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie combined...
- South Africa made a flurry of changes in the pack early in the second half, quickly putting the All Blacks under heavy pressure, according to rugby.com.au.
The world champions used a devastating second-half display in front of a capacity crowd of 71,000 to overcome the All Blacks, backed by total dominance at the breakdown, set-piece, and aerial battle.
Springboks Overcome Early All Blacks Pressure in Baltimore
The Springboks grabbed the opening points via a penalty from fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, but New Zealand responded swiftly on eight minutes when Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie combined down the left flank, allowing scrum-half Cam Roigard to spin a pass to recalled captain Codie Taylor for a converted try, according to rugby.com.au. South Africa hit back when veteran lock Eben Etzebeth was halted near the goal-line, letting centre Damian de Allende blast over to reclaim a 10-7 lead. Play was held up for more than eight minutes in the first half due to communication equipment failures between match officials, as reported by rugby.com.au. Once play resumed, scrum-half Morne van den Berg extended the lead to 17-7 following an attacking line-out, before New Zealand’s Jordan finished a 32-phase move to narrow the gap.
Second-Half Surge Secures the Series for South Africa
South Africa made a flurry of changes in the pack early in the second half, quickly putting the All Blacks under heavy pressure, according to rugby.com.au. A scrum penalty against prop Ethan de Groot allowed the Springboks to kick to the corner, where hooker Malcolm Marx drove over for a converted score before back-row star Pieter-Steph du Toit dotted down to push the advantage to 29-14. Although New Zealand forward Ethan Blackadder crossed to bring his side within eight points, tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom sealed the 43-28 result for South Africa.
Reaction From the Captains After the Final Test
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi credited coach Rassie Erasmus for motivating the squad, noting to rugby.com.au: He knows how to get us up, and when he speaks to us he reminds us where we come from, the country that we come from.
rugby.com.au Kolisi added that the team played for injured players, those left off the tour, and the people of South Africa. New Zealand skipper Codie Taylor conceded that the world champions simply capitalized on crucial moments throughout the series. Full credit to them — they’re a great side and they’ve proven why they’re world champions,
Taylor said, according to rugby.com.au. Taylor added that the All Blacks view the defeat as a useful stepping stone as the nation builds toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup.