The South Africa v New Zealand Rugby Championship clash between greatest rivalry at one of the game, Ellis Park, on 31 August 2024. South Africa top the standings after two rounds of action after collecting a full house of points in their back-to-back victories over Australia.
This weekend, the Rugby Championship will resume with the Springboks taking on the All Blacks and Los Pumas taking on the Wallabies in Round Three of the competition. The All Blacks travel to South Africa having lost to Argentina in the first round but winning decisively the next time around.
As his men take on the daunting task of facing Los Pumas in front of an ardent home crowd, Joe Schmidt will be hoping to record his first Rugby Championship victory.
South Africa v New Zealand Rugby Championship
Game : South Africa v New Zealand Rugby
Date: Saturday, 31 August
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Local kick-off: 5:00 pm
Springboks v All Blacks at Ellis Park Stadium
In 1928, Ellis Park hosted the rivalry for the first time, drawing nearly 30,000 spectators to the pitch to watch the two teams play for the second time on South African soil (the first meeting took place in Durban, nine days earlier).
In addition, South Africa v New Zealand Rugby would defeat the Springboks in for the first time in that match, winning 7-6 over their hosts. Twenty-one years later, the All Blacks were back on the pitch, and this time, tries from Hannes Brewis and Tjol Lategan saw the hosts win 12–6.
Ellis Park has seen renovations and additions throughout the years, with the largest audience reportedly squeezing into the lower level at a startling 75,000. If the attendance estimates that have been reported are correct, more than one million people will have attended the venue’s Springboks vs All Blacks games combined in 2024.
Boks return to training in Johannesburg as they target All Blacks
After taking a two-day vacation after their return from Australia, the Springboks resumed their Rugby Championship campaign against New Zealand in Johannesburg.
Building on their good start to the competition, Mzwandile Stick, the assistant coach for the Boks, stated that their only goal for the following nine days would be to play the highest calibre of rugby possible.
The Springboks will play their arch-rivals from the southern hemisphere on Saturday, August 31, at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, and on September 7, at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
