Feature · Rugby
Springboks vs All Blacks: 5 Lessons From the 29–24 Soweto Win
South Africa beat New Zealand 29–24 at FNB Stadium to seize a 2–1 series lead. Here are five big lessons from a savage, breathless Soweto Test.
Thabo Williams · Sports Betting Editor
Reviewed by BestCasinoSA Editorial Team · Published 6 September 2026 · Updated 30 September 2026
Team news, line-ups and fixture details can change late. This article was last updated on 30 Sep 2026. Always confirm the latest information before relying on it.
Springboks vs All Blacks in Soweto was not a victory South Africa strolled through. They survived a brutal Test and found a way to win.\n\nIn front of 85,967 people at FNB Stadium, the Springboks beat the All Blacks 29–24 on Saturday, 5 September 2026, turning a 12–12 halftime deadlock into a five-point victory that puts them 2–1 ahead in the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Both sides scored four tries. The Boks got theirs through Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and a penalty try, while New Zealand kept coming hard enough to ensure the contest remained alive deep into the second half. It was brutal, frantic and often on a knife-edge — exactly what this rivalry is supposed to look like.
But beyond the scoreline, Soweto told us plenty about where this Springbok side is heading and why the final Test in Baltimore is now enormous.
| Match | South Africa vs New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Result | Springboks 29–24 All Blacks |
| Halftime | 12–12 |
| Venue | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Attendance | 85,967 |
| Series | South Africa lead 2–1 |
| Final Test | 12 September 2026, Baltimore |
1. The Springboks can win ugly without losing their nerve
There are Springbok victories built on total forward domination, and there are victories that demand something less comfortable: surviving chaos.
This was the latter.
New Zealand repeatedly found ways to threaten South Africa and the scoreboard never allowed the Boks to relax. At 12–12 at halftime, there was no daylight between the teams. Even after South Africa moved ahead, the All Blacks remained dangerous enough to punish one poor exit, one missed tackle or one breakdown mistake.
The Boks did not need the match to become pretty. They needed to stay composed when it became messy.
That matters. World-class teams do not only win when their preferred plan works perfectly. They find ways to stay in a contest when momentum swings, pressure rises and the opposition refuses to disappear.
Rassie Erasmus summed up the margin afterwards by stressing how little separates the sides. That is important context: 29–24 is not evidence that South Africa have solved New Zealand. It is evidence that they handled the decisive moments slightly better.
2. South Africa’s pack still changes the temperature of a Test
The All Blacks can attack at frightening speed, but South Africa possess a different weapon: the ability to make a match physically exhausting.
The Boks’ forward pressure and set piece were central to the victory. This was not simply about winning a scrum and celebrating a penalty. Repeated collisions, mauls, carries and defensive work force opponents to make decisions while fatigued.
That pressure compounds.
Malcolm Marx’s try was a fitting contribution in a Test where South Africa’s physical game remained one of the clearest differences between the sides. The penalty try added another reminder of how costly sustained pressure can become.
The lesson for Baltimore is obvious. New Zealand know exactly what is coming, but knowing and stopping it are two different things.
3. The Boks are becoming harder to define
For years, the lazy description of South African rugby was simple: giant forwards, dominant scrum, kick for territory, squeeze the opposition.
That description is increasingly incomplete.
South Africa still want the physical contest. They would be foolish to abandon one of their greatest advantages. But this team is increasingly comfortable attacking space rather than simply attacking bodies.
Kurt-Lee Arendse and Jesse Kriel both crossing the line matters in that context. The Boks are most dangerous when opponents cannot simply load their defensive attention around the breakdown and wait for another direct carry.
The more credible South Africa become with ball in hand, the more uncomfortable the traditional Springbok weapons become. Defenders cannot simultaneously crowd the gain line, protect the edges, prepare for the kick and survive the next wave of forwards.
That uncertainty may ultimately be more valuable than any single attacking pattern.
The victory came with a significant cost.
Cheslin Kolbe suffered a broken jaw and will miss the fourth Test in Baltimore, according to Erasmus. Losing a player of Kolbe’s quality affects far more than one position: South Africa lose elite finishing, aerial ability, defensive work and another player capable of creating something from almost nothing.
New Zealand have an even bigger leadership problem. Captain Ardie Savea suffered a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of the Baltimore Test. Savea had already made a major impact in Soweto before leaving the field.
Those absences change the next Test before either coach names a team.
For South Africa, the challenge is replacing Kolbe without shrinking their attacking ambition. For New Zealand, replacing Savea means replacing not only an exceptional loose forward but their captain and one of their most influential players.
The final Test is therefore not simply Soweto, Part Two. The personnel and tactical equation will be different.
5. The series is not won — and that makes Baltimore dangerous
A 2–1 lead feels powerful. It is not a series victory.
The fourth and final Test takes place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on 12 September, and New Zealand can still square the series 2–2. Under the tour’s trophy concept, a drawn series would see the nations retain one half each.
Erasmus was quick to reject the idea that the job was finished. That is exactly the mindset South Africa need.
The danger after an emotional home victory is believing the psychological battle has already been won. It has not. The All Blacks have an entire week to absorb the defeat, adapt and arrive in the United States knowing they have one Test left to deny South Africa an outright series triumph.
For the Springboks, Baltimore offers something bigger: the chance to turn two consecutive victories into a series win over their greatest rivals.
That is a very different prize from winning a memorable Saturday afternoon in Soweto.
The moment FNB Stadium finally belonged to the Boks
There was history attached to this result too.
South Africa had lost their previous Tests against New Zealand at FNB Stadium in 2010 and 2012. On Saturday, they finally broke that run.
And they did it in front of a crowd of 85,967, a few kilometres from Soweto, after Siya Kolisi had spoken before the match about the historical significance of playing there and the people whose sacrifices shaped modern South Africa.
That gave the afternoon a weight beyond a normal home Test.
The noise at the finish told its own story.
What happens next?
The Springboks and All Blacks now leave South Africa for the United States, where the fourth Test will decide whether the Boks win the series outright or New Zealand drag it back to 2–2.
The biggest early selection questions are already clear: who replaces Kolbe for South Africa, and how do the All Blacks restructure without Savea?
We will cover those questions in our full Baltimore preview once the teams and latest injury information are confirmed.
For now, Soweto belongs to South Africa.
Springboks 29. All Blacks 24. Series 2–1. One Test left.
Springboks vs All Blacks Soweto FAQ
What was the Springboks vs All Blacks score at FNB Stadium?
South Africa beat New Zealand 29–24 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 5 September 2026. The teams were level 12–12 at halftime.
Who scored the Springbok tries?
South Africa’s tries came from Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx, plus a penalty try.
What is the Springboks vs All Blacks series score?
South Africa lead the four-Test series 2–1 with one match remaining.
When is the final Springboks vs All Blacks Test?
The fourth Test is scheduled for 12 September 2026 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States.
Will Cheslin Kolbe play in Baltimore?
No. Rassie Erasmus confirmed after the Soweto Test that Kolbe suffered a broken jaw and will miss the final Test.
Will Ardie Savea play in Baltimore?
No. New Zealand captain Ardie Savea suffered a shoulder injury in the Soweto Test and has been ruled out of the final match.
Sources
Match result, attendance, scoring and post-match context were checked against SA Rugby’s official match report and post-match coverage, with the result cross-checked against New Zealand Rugby. Injury details were additionally cross-checked against Reuters reporting published after the match.
For the build-up to this Test, see our Springboks vs All Blacks FNB Stadium preview and our report on the Springboks’ 33–26 Cape Town victory.
Official references
For primary-source verification, see SA Rugby’s official report, the SA Rugby results centre, and New Zealand Rugby’s match report.
Related Springboks coverage
Read our FNB Stadium match preview, the 33–26 Cape Town victory report, and our Cape Town Test preview.
