SA Rugby has confirmed there will be no shared spoils between the Springboks and All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. LINDIZ VAN ZILLA reports.
The world’s top two-ranked teams will face each other in a four-Test series at Ellis Park in Johannesburg (22 August), Cape Town Stadium (29 August), FNB Stadium in Nasrec (5 September) and M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore (12 September).
SA Rugby’s GM of operations Yusuf Jackson said plans are being finalised to ensure the series has a winner.
“There will be a tiebreaker in the event the series is drawn and there will be an ultimate winner,” he told SARugbymag.co.za.
Jackson said SA Rugby and NZ Rugby had agreed that the series would not end in a draw.
“The question we asked both teams was, ‘Are we happy to shake hands in Baltimore and share the trophy?’ Both were aligned. ‘No, we want a winner’.”
Jackson referenced the All Blacks’ drawn three-match series against the British & Irish Lions in 2017 when the third Test in Auckland ended in a 15-15 stalemate, leaving the series shared at 1-1.
He said that in the event of a drawn series at the end of 80 minutes in the fourth Test in Baltimore, a tiebreaker to decide the series winner will come into play.
“We are exploring the various [tiebreak] options,” he said. “Being mindful of player well-being and match integrity, that could be extra-time or sudden death. All of that is being deliberated at this point.”
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The 1995 World Cup final between the Springboks and All Blacks at Ellis Park famously went to extra-time, with the Boks emerging victorious on the back of a Joel Stransky drop goal.
Importantly, any tiebreaker will take place on the day in Baltimore.
“There are no plans for another match because of the schedule,” Jackson confirmed. “The fourth Test will deliver a series result, if we go there.
“Everyone agrees that we want a winner and we have explored this with representatives of both team managements around a table.
“When we go to New Zealand [for the return series in 2030], one team will have the bragging rights of champions.”
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The concept aligns with the tour’s broader ambition to revive the drama of traditional rugby tours, while also appealing to a global audience.
“Our thinking is that there must be a resolution,” Jackson said. “You can’t have a series of this magnitude end without a winner.”
The concept of a winner takes all also plays into an American audience where drawn sporting contests are generally frowned upon.
The US is a major target market for rugby union, and the Springboks and All Blacks – as the two most successful countries in the sport – are key to elevating the game in one of the world’s biggest markets.
The 2031 World Cup will take place in the US.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures
Friday, 7 August: vs Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Tuesday, 11 August: vs Sharks, Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 15 August: vs Vodacom Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 22 August: vs Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 25 August: vs Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 29 August: vs Springboks, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Saturday, 5 September: vs Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Saturday 12 September: vs Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Photo: Kim Ludbrook/EPA
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