South Africa went into the 2026 series against New Zealand as world champions and came out of it looking like something closer to a dynasty. A 3-1 win across four Tests made the Springboks the first holders of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Trophy, kept them at the top of the world rankings, and you can follow the action and the odds in one place on LiveScore IE. What happens next matters more than the celebration did, because this is a squad with a World Cup to defend.
How the series was won
It did not begin well. New Zealand took the opener 33-16 at Ellis Park, a night on which the All Blacks looked the better drilled side and left Rassie Erasmus with an unresolved selection at fly-half.
The answer arrived in Cape Town. South Africa won 33-26 to level the series, then edged a tight third Test 29-24 at FNB Stadium in Soweto to move 2-1 clear. The decider was played in Baltimore, where the Springboks ran in six tries in a 43-28 win, watched by the largest crowd ever to attend a rugby union match in the United States. It was also Erasmus' 100th Test in charge.
The men who made the difference
Malcolm Marx was the outstanding forward of the four matches. The reigning World Rugby Player of the Year controlled the lineout and the breakdown, scored in each of the last two Tests, and was rated 9 out of 10 across the series by RugbyPass.
Wilco Louw built the platform, scrummaging New Zealand backwards from first whistle to last and making 11 tackles in the first half alone in Baltimore. Damian de Allende was the most consistent back, carrying hard and passing well out of contact, while Morne van den Berg took man of the match in the final Test after forcing his way into the starting side.
Siya Kolisi missed the opener through injury, returned to score in Cape Town and led from there. Cheslin Kolbe was excellent whenever fit, though a broken jaw restricted him to one complete match. The open question is still at fly-half, where Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok shared the role across the series without either man settling it.
Where the Springboks go next
The Nations Championship takes them to Europe in November for three away Tests: Italy in Turin on 7 November, France at the Stade de France on 13 November and Ireland in Dublin on 21 November. A Grand Finals weekend follows at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November. Three away days against opponents of that standard, capped by a final against whichever northern hemisphere side tops its group, is a more demanding month than any Rugby Championship. The Rugby Championship itself returns in 2027.
The road to Australia 2027
The World Cup runs from 1 October to 13 November 2027 and is the first to feature 24 teams, split into six pools of four. South Africa were drawn in Pool B alongside Italy, Georgia and Romania, opening against the Italians at Adelaide Oval on 3 October before facing Georgia in Brisbane a week later.
On paper that is a kind draw. The expansion also adds a round of 16, which means the holders have to win four knockout matches rather than three to keep the trophy. No side has ever won three World Cups in a row, and the Springboks will go after it with a pack whose senior men will be another year older.
The case either way
The argument against them is about age and attrition rather than ability. The argument for them is harder to dismiss. Erasmus is contracted through to 2031, the depth behind Marx and Louw has already been tested, and no team has managed the modern Test calendar better. Beating New Zealand three times inside a single series is the strongest evidence yet that a fourth World Cup title in 2023 was the middle of this cycle rather than the end of it.
Betting is for over-18s only.