South Africa vs New Zealand Rugby Union Head-to-Head & History - How the numbers stack up ahead of the Greatest Rivalry Tour
South Africa and New Zealand are rugby’s two most storied rivals, having won seven of the 10 Rugby World Cups and faced off in 110 Test matches since 1921. New Zealand leads the head-to-head (63 wins to 43), with close contests in neutral venues and a remarkably fierce competitive history. Recent form favors South Africa, who have won their last four matches against the All Blacks – their best streak since 1949. Iconic moments, legendary players like Dan Carter and Jonah Lomu, and tightly contested World Cup finals continue to fuel rugby’s greatest rivalry.
- New Zealand leads head-to-head 63-43 after 110 matches.
- South Africa is on a 4-match winning streak, their best since 1949.
- Both nations have produced legendary players and World Cup finals clashes.
We take a look at all the stats, history and head-to-head results of South Africa vs New Zealand ahead of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour.
It isn't really a debate that these are the two greatest rugby union nations playing the game. They have shared seven of the 10 Rugby World Cup's to date and after 110 Test matches against each other, the All Blacks lead by 20 - no other team comes remotely close to the Springboks 39% win rate against New Zealand.
New Zealand and South Africa have a rich history in the sport and have played some of the most iconic test matches against each other, including two Rugby World Cup finals.
But how do they stack up in terms of numbers?
Head-to-Head Record
Overall, New Zealand lead the head-to-head 63-43 since the first Test in 1921. While there is a 20-game lead, no other nation has a remotely similar record against the All Blacks.
On home soil, New Zealand have faced South Africa on 48 occasions, winning 34, losing 11 along with three draws.
In South Africa there have been 54 games played with the All Blacks claiming 25 wins, South Africa 28 and one draw.
They have met eight times at a neutral venue, each with four wins. In total points scored at a neutral venue, South Africa have scored 157 and New Zealand 156 – it does not get closer than that.
| Info | Played | Won by New Zealand | Won by South Africa | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 110 | 63 | 43 | 4 |
| In New Zealand | 48 | 34 | 11 | 3 |
| In South Africa | 54 | 25 | 28 | 1 |
| Neutral | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Last 10 Results
| Date | Result | Score | Stadium | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 2019 | New Zealand Won | 23-13 | Yokohama Stadium | Japan |
| 25 Sep 2021 | New Zealand Won | 19-17 | Queensland Stadium | Australia |
| 2 Oct 2021 | South Africa Won | 29-31 | Robina Stadium | Australia |
| 6 Aug 2022 | South Africa Won | 26-10 | Mbombela Stadium | South Africa |
| 13 Aug 2022 | New Zealand Won | 23-35 | Ellis Park | South Africa |
| 15 July 2023 | New Zealand Won | 35-20 | Mount Smart Stadium | New Zealand |
| 25 Aug 2023 | South Africa Won | 7-35 | Twickenham | England |
| 28 Oct 2023 | South Africa Won | 11-12 | Stade de France | France |
| 31 Aug 2024 | South Africa Won | 31-27 | Emirates Airline Mark | South Africa |
| 7 Sep 2024 | South Africa Won | 18-12 | Cape Town Stadium | South Africa |
| 6 Sep 2025 | New Zealand Won | 24-17 | Eden Park | New Zealand |
| 13 Sep 2025 | South Africa Won | 10-43 | Wellington Regional Stadium | New Zealand |
Records
While there have been many tightly contested Test matches between the All Blacks and Springboks, there have also been occasions on which the opposition just weren’t up to speed.
New Zealand’s biggest win against the Boks came in 2017 when they humiliated Alistair Coetzee’s side 57-0. Prior to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, South Africa achieved their biggest winning margin against the All Blacks, winning 35-7 at Twickenham.
In Rugby World Cup’s, the two sides have met on six occasions with both winning three. South Africa won both World Cup finals against the All Blacks – 15-12 in 1995 and 12-11 in 2023.
In the five series they have played (which took place prior to the Rugby Championship and Tri Nations inception), the teams have won five series each with two draws.
As things stand at the conclusion of their 2024 fixtures, South Africa have won their last four matches against New Zealand. That is the longest stretch of wins for the Springboks over the All Blacks since 1949.
Icons
Both sides have had a number of rugby icons over the years. We can go way back into history, but over the last 30 years, who can forget Joel Stransky's drop goal to seal the 1995 Rugby World Cup on home soil?
Another player in that 1999 final, Jonah Lomu, who has now unfortunately passed on, was a hero to many, not just from his native New Zealand. But, for his is fabulous records, he never managed to score a try against South Africa in a Test match.
Dan Carter remains the top points scorer in this fixture with 221 points, he is followed by Andrew Mehrtens with 209. Third place is held by a current All Black, Beauden Barrett (174). The first South African on the list is Handre Pollard with 109 points.
A name still mentioned today in rugby circles is that of Christian Cullen. The elusive fullback scored 10 tries against South Africa and no one has managed to top that feat. Joek Rokocoko scored nine and Bryan Habana eight.
He has always had a great passion for sport and this led him into the world of sports journalism, while coaching on the side. Since 2012 Ralph has worked as a journalist and covered many topics from business to sport.
Over the last seven years he has interviewed numerous top rugby and cricket players and coaches in South Africa.
Ralph has been betting on sports for the last ten years. He’s knowledgeable on numerous topics including football, rugby, cricket, tennis and golf.
He supports Manchester United (football), Cheetahs (rugby), Knights (cricket) and has a newly found appreciation for Dominic Thiem on the tennis courts.
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