Springboks and All Blacks taking rivalry to the US for the first time

By Canadian Press on January 22, 2026.

BALTIMORE (AP) — South Africa and New Zealand are taking international rugby’s greatest rivalry to the United States for the first time.

They revealed on Thursday they will play their fourth and final test this year in Baltimore, Maryland, on Sept. 12. It’s at M&T Bank Stadium, the 71,000-seat home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.

The match follows the All Blacks’ first tour of South Africa in 30 years, where they will play the Springboks in three tests on Aug. 22, Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Between them, they have won seven of the 10 Rugby World Cups.

The rugby unions, partnered with World Rugby, chose to play in the U.S. to promote their brands and rugby before the U.S. hosts the men’s World Cup in 2031 and Women’s World Cup in 2033.

The All Blacks will play in the U.S. for the fourth time in five years. The Springboks will appear for the third time in this millennium, after meeting the U.S. in Houston in 2001 and Wales in Washington, D.C., in 2018.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

The Associated Press