On 13 August 1921, in Dunedin, two teams played a rugby match that neither of them could have known would still be the most important fixture in the sport a century later.
This is the permanent Springboks vs All Blacks head to head record: every series, the all-time numbers, the venue splits, the biggest wins and the World Cup meetings. One hundred and five years, 110 Tests, and a margin between the two countries narrow enough that a single tour can move it.
Bookmark it. It gets updated after every Test they play, including the four in 2026.
Springboks vs All Blacks head to head: the all-time record
| Tests played | 110 |
| New Zealand wins | 63 |
| South Africa wins | 43 |
| Draws | 4 |
| First meeting | 13 August 1921, Dunedin |
| Biggest South Africa win | 43-10, Wellington, 13 September 2025 |
| Biggest New Zealand win | 57-0, Albany, 16 September 2017 |
The venue split, which is the number that actually matters
The overall record flatters New Zealand, and the reason is simple: they win at home more comprehensively than South Africa do.
| Where | Played | South Africa | New Zealand | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In South Africa | 54 | 28 | 25 | 1 |
| In New Zealand | 47 | 10 | 33 | 3 |
In South Africa it is 28-25. That is 54 Tests across 105 years separated by three results. There is no comparable fixture in world rugby with that kind of balance over that kind of span.
The rest of the 110 have been played at neutral venues, including World Cup matches and, from 12 September 2026, a Test in Baltimore.
Three eras, three different rivalries
The aggregate hides how completely this fixture has changed character.
| Era | Record |
|---|---|
| 1921 to 2000 | New Zealand 27, South Africa 26 |
| 2001 to 2017 | New Zealand 31, South Africa 10 |
| 2018 to present | South Africa ahead, 8 wins to 6, one draw |
For eighty years it was dead level. Then for seventeen years it was not a rivalry at all, it was a New Zealand era, capped by 57-0 at Albany in 2017. Then Rassie Erasmus took over the Springboks and it inverted again.
If you only started watching in one of those windows, you have a completely different idea of what this fixture is.
Every tour series, 1921 to 1996
Before professionalism, these two countries met in tour series rather than annual competitions. Twelve of them. This is the whole run.
1921, New Zealand: drawn 1-1
New Zealand won the opener in Dunedin 13-5, South Africa took Wellington 9-5, and the third Test finished 0-0. A hundred and five years later that scoreless draw is still one of only four draws between them.
1928, South Africa: drawn 2-2
South Africa dominated early, winning in Durban 17-0 and Port Elizabeth 11-6. New Zealand came back to take Johannesburg 7-6 and Cape Town 13-5.
1937, New Zealand: South Africa won 2-1
New Zealand won Wellington 13-7 before South Africa took Christchurch 13-6 and Auckland 17-6. It remains South Africa’s only Test series win on New Zealand soil.
1949, South Africa: South Africa won 4-0
A whitewash across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth. The most one-sided series in the rivalry’s history.
1956, New Zealand: New Zealand won 3-1
New Zealand took Dunedin 10-6, Christchurch 17-10 and Auckland 11-5. South Africa’s only win came in Wellington, 8-3.
1960, South Africa: South Africa won 2-1
South Africa won Johannesburg 13-0 and Port Elizabeth 8-3, New Zealand won Cape Town 11-3, and Bloemfontein finished 11-11.
1965, New Zealand: New Zealand won 3-1
Wellington 6-3, Dunedin 13-0 and Auckland 20-3 to New Zealand. South Africa’s win came in Christchurch, 19-16.
1970, South Africa: South Africa won 3-1
Pretoria 17-6, Port Elizabeth 14-3 and Johannesburg 20-17 to South Africa. New Zealand won Cape Town 9-8.
1976, South Africa: South Africa won 3-1
Durban 16-7, Cape Town 15-10 and Johannesburg 15-14 to South Africa, with New Zealand winning Bloemfontein 15-9. This is the tour that triggered a boycott of the Montreal Olympics by a large group of African nations in protest at New Zealand playing in apartheid South Africa. The rugby is a footnote to that.
1981, New Zealand: New Zealand won 2-1
Christchurch 14-9 and Auckland 25-22 to New Zealand, Wellington 24-12 to South Africa.
1994, New Zealand: New Zealand won 2-0
Dunedin 22-14 and Wellington 13-9 to New Zealand, with Auckland drawn 18-18.
1996, South Africa: New Zealand won 2-1
The one that broke the streak. New Zealand won in Durban 23-19 and Pretoria 33-26 to become the first New Zealand side ever to win a Test series in South Africa. South Africa took the third Test at Ellis Park 32-22. Separately, New Zealand had beaten South Africa 29-18 at Newlands on 10 August in the final match of the inaugural Tri Nations.
The pattern worth noticing: across those twelve series, New Zealand won one in South Africa. One, in 1996, at the twelfth attempt spread over seventy-five years.
World Cup meetings
Eight, split four apiece. But two of them were finals, and South Africa won both.
| Year | Round | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Final | South Africa 15-12 |
| 2023 | Final | South Africa 12-11 |
Between them these two countries have won seven of the ten men’s Rugby World Cups ever contested.
Recent meetings
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2023 | South Africa 35-7, Twickenham |
| 2024 | South Africa won twice, 31-27 and 18-12, taking the Freedom Cup |
| 2025 | New Zealand 24-17, then South Africa 43-10 |
South Africa hold the Freedom Cup going into the 2026 series, which will be the first time it has been contested over four Tests.
2026: the thirteenth series
| Test | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| First | Sat 22 Aug | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
| Second | Sat 29 Aug | Cape Town Stadium |
| Third | Sat 5 Sep | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Fourth | Sat 12 Sep | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore |
Results will be added to this page as they happen, along with the updated all-time record.
Frequently asked questions
What is the head to head record between the Springboks and the All Blacks?
They have played 110 Tests. New Zealand have won 63, South Africa 43, with four draws. In South Africa the record is much closer at 28-25 to South Africa from 54 matches, with one draw.
When did the Springboks and All Blacks first play?
13 August 1921, in Dunedin, New Zealand. New Zealand won 13-5, and the three-Test series finished 1-1 with a 0-0 draw in the decider.
What is the biggest win in Springboks vs All Blacks history?
New Zealand’s 57-0 win at Albany in 2017 is the largest margin. South Africa’s biggest is 43-10 in Wellington in 2025.
Have New Zealand ever won a Test series in South Africa?
Once, in 1996, at the twelfth attempt. They had toured in 1928, 1949, 1960, 1970 and 1976 without winning a series. The 1996 side was nicknamed the Incomparables for it.
How many times have South Africa and New Zealand met at a World Cup?
Eight times, split four wins each. Two of those meetings were finals, in 1995 and 2023, and South Africa won both.