Source: Radio New Zealand
M&T Bank Stadium during the AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
The All Blacks and Springboks will play the fourth test of this year’s Greatest Rivalry series in Baltimore, with the match to be held at the 70,000 seat M&T Bank Stadium on 13 September (NZT).
It’s the third season in a row the All Blacks will head to the USA, after their return to Chicago’s Soldier Field last October and a test against Fiji in San Diego in 2024. They also played against the US national team in Washington DC in 2021.
The Chicago match saw them defeat Ireland 26-13 in front of 62,000 fans, which resulted in NZ Rugby’s highest revenue from a test match since the 2017 British & Irish Lions series. The Baltimore match is expected to have a similar revenue split between NZ Rugby and SA Rugby.
“Having the opportunity to once again play in the US, less than a year after our last game, is exciting for the All Blacks and for New Zealand Rugby. The US is an important market for us and for rugby more broadly, as we look ahead to Rugby World Cup 2031,” said interim NZR CEO Steve Lancaster.
“Taking the Springboks to new audiences and territories is a key objective for South African rugby and the opportunity to do so in a ground-breaking match against our fiercest rivals was a major determinant in where the fourth test would be played,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.
This will be the All Blacks’ first visit to Baltimore, which will come a week after they face the Springboks at Soweto’s FNB Stadium in front of what is predicted to be a sold out crowd of 95,000. That test is the culmination of what will be a brutal four weeks for the currently coach-less side, who will also play all four South African URC sides, and test matches at Ellis Park and Cape Town’s DHL Stadium, in what will be the first full tour of the country in 30 years.
Fabian Holland competes at the lineout with Pieter-Steph du Toit. Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
It will be the Springboks’ first trip to US soil since 2018, when they lost to Wales 22-20 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. The test marked the beginning of Rassie Erasmus’s coaching tenure and was a controversial one, as both sides were severely understrength.
However, it’s not the most controversial visit the Springboks have made to the US, with their test match in 1981 having to be played in secret due to fears of potentially violent anti-apartheid protests.
Fans, crowd and supporters during the national anthems, New Zealand All Blacks v Ireland, All Blacks Northern Tour rugby union test match at Soldier Field, Chicago, USA on Saturday 1 November 2025. Robin Alam / Photosport
There is an interesting bit of symmetry between the All Blacks and the usual tenants of M&T Bank Stadium, with the Baltimore Ravens NFL side having just fired their coach John Harbaugh as well. While Scott Robertson can count himself as the only All Black coach to suffer that fate, Harbaugh is at least in good company is one of 10 NFL head coaches relieved of his duties, despite the Ravens making the playoffs.
However in another stark contrast between the two sports, Harbaugh was unemployed for less than a fortnight, this week hired as coach of the New York Giants.
Greatest Rivalry tour schedule
* all dates NZT
Saturday 8 August: Stormers v All Blacks, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Wednesday 12 August: Sharks v All Blacks, Kings Park, Durban
Sunday 16 August: Bulls v All Blacks, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Sunday 23 August: Springboks v All Blacks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (first test)
Wednesday 26 August: Lions v All Blacks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Sunday 30 August: Springboks v All Blacks, DHL Stadium, Cape Town (second test)
Sunday 6 September: Springboks v All Blacks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (third test)
Sunday 13 September: Springboks v All Blacks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (fourth test)
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
