Boks vs All Blacks Greatest Rivalry series set to change rugby's quadrennial narrative

Daily Maverick

11-05-2025

The new series involving the Springboks and All Blacks will alter the shape of the game and change the way a four-year cycle is viewed.
Test rugby has operated in four-year cycles for the better part of 40 years. Although annual tournaments such as the Rugby Championship and Six Nations are certainly valued by their respective communities, coaches often talk about these competitions as if they are stepping stones on a much longer journey that culminates at the World Cup.
The home nations, of course, have held a different view of the Test calendar for more than a century. The quadrennial British & Irish Lions tour is on par with the World Cup and shapes the prevailing narrative in the northern hemisphere – as seen by the hype around the recent squad announcement for the tour to Australia.
Everyone in the north is talking about coach Andy Farrell's selections and is wondering who might feature in the three Tests against the Wallabies, and indeed whether the Lions might win a series outright for the first time since 2013.
Closer to home, the conversation is dominated by Rassie Erasmus's preparation for the Italy series in the short term, the Rugby Championship in the medium term and the 2027 World Cup – the latter representing a shot at an unprecedented hat-trick of global titles. Few if any are focused on South Africa and New Zealand's answer to the Lions series, which will be staged for the first time in 2026.
Perhaps this has something to do with the fixtures and overall structure of the Greatest Rivalry series yet having to be confirmed, but make no mistake, this series will change the way we view a four-year cycle – and certainly how coaches and players prepare for one.
Rassie already a step ahead
Erasmus set out his stall in February 2024 when he selected a large training squad and targeted a third World Cup title in 2027.
He neglected to mention that the world champions would have another major event to build towards, namely the first instalment of the Greatest Rivalry series.
By the end of the 2024 Rugby Championship, rugby authorities on both sides of the Indian Ocean had confirmed that the groundbreaking quadrennial tour had received the green light. The first series would be staged in South Africa in 2026 and the second in New Zealand in 2030.
In the immediate aftermath of their Freedom Cup victory against the All Blacks, Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi spoke about the potential of an event that could rival a Lions series. Tour matches against the franchises, a three-Test series, as well as a one-off staged in the UK or the US… Who wouldn't want to be involved in that?
The rarity of these tours will be a drawcard for fans and players alike. Top players would be lucky to feature in both tours over a period of eight years, given the threat of injuries and that international careers are not as long as they used to be. And if the Boks blow their chance of winning the series in 2026, they will have to wait until the next instalment for revenge.
The obvious difference between the Greatest Rivalry and the Lions series is that the Boks and All Blacks will continue to meet in the intervening years, either in the Rugby Championship or at the World Cup.
One can understand why there is an absence of hype at this stage, since it's hard for stakeholders in New Zealand and South Africa to look past the coming Freedom Cup series, which will play out in Auckland and Wellington in September.
Erasmus's Boks have achieved a great deal over the past eight years, but it's worth noting that no South African side has won at Eden Park since 1937, and the All Blacks remain undefeated at the Auckland fortress in the professional era.
But as was the case in 2024, when the All Blacks played back-to-back Tests in South Africa, the two-match tour to New Zealand will allow a narrative to build and develop. It should be a series to remember – the misfiring All Blacks also have a point to prove – and should offer further proof of the multi-Test concept.
Getting answers for 2026
It's been three years since the two-game tour format was introduced, and it's fair to say that this change has breathed new life into the Rugby Championship.
The two matches in New Zealand this year should receive due hype and attention, but they are, as mentioned before, essentially steps on a longer journey.
Erasmus, Kolisi and the rest will go down with the greats if they break the Eden Park curse on 6 September, but with a view to the long term, the coach will want answers ahead of the 2026 Greatest Rivalry series and the 2027 World Cup.
The one-off Test staged overseas will generate significant income for both unions, but the outcome of that fixture is unlikely to count towards the series result.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how Erasmus approaches that one-off and the three Tests in South Africa.
Rotation, as the Bok boss has explained, may provide an opportunity for experimentation in the lead-up to big tournaments and series. When competing in the big games and playing taxing Tests back to back, rotation can provide different tactical options and mitigate fatigue.
The Bok coaches made numerous changes throughout the 2023 World Cup playoffs and in the 2024 double-header against the All Blacks. Lessons taken from last year's Freedom Cup series, and the upcoming two-match epic in New Zealand, will certainly be carried through to the 2026 showpiece.
With regard to personnel, Erasmus has made the point that some of the senior players who starred at the 2019 and 2023 tournaments won't feature at the 2027 World Cup. When he first made this statement in 2024, many assumed that he would axe a clutch of veterans sooner rather than later.
And yet, most of the usual suspects were used – alongside a growing group of younger players – over the course of 2024, and they have been included in the alignment camps ahead of the 2025 Test season.
Perhaps Erasmus believes that this experience will be essential when the Boks travel to New Zealand later this year.
Perhaps he is already thinking about using these older players in the Greatest Rivalry series, even if the 2027 World Cup may be a bridge too far for certain individuals.
Whatever the case, the 2026 series should shape the Boks' approach in 2025.
Although every player is desperate to feature in the World Cup, a spot in the squad for a marquee series against South Africa's archrivals will be just as highly prized.
Further into the future
Beyond 2027, the schedule will be packed with more meaningful Tests than ever before. The inaugural Nations Championship will be staged in 2026 and subsequent editions will play out in 2028 and 2030.
The Boks will tour New Zealand for the second edition of the Greatest Rivalry series in 2030, before shifting their focus to the 2031 World Cup in the US. Two years later, they will welcome the Lions to these shores.
Considering what lies ahead, one can understand why Erasmus is working with such a large squad right now. The decorated Bok coach has one eye on the present and another on the future, an approach that should benefit South African rugby during the most competitive era in the game's history. DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.