South Africa seal series win over New Zealand with victory in Baltimore
South Africa beat New Zealand 43-28 in the fourth Test in Baltimore to clinch the series 3-1, watched by a near-capacity crowd of 68,173 — the largest ever for a rugby match in the USA.
World champions South Africa defeated New Zealand 43-28 in Baltimore on Saturday, sealing a 3-1 series victory. After losing the series opener in Johannesburg last month, New Zealand had risen to the top of the world rankings, but South Africa fought back to win the series as director of rugby Rassie Erasmus had predicted.
The match drew a near-capacity crowd of 68,173 at M&T Bank Stadium, the largest attendance ever recorded for a rugby match in the United States.
How the match unfolded
New Zealand started fastest, with hooker Codie Taylor scoring inside eight minutes off a slick passing move. But South Africa's forward power told in tight exchanges, with Damian de Allende and scrum-half Morne van den Berg both crossing to put the Springboks 17-7 ahead.
Just before half-time, New Zealand's all-time leading try-scorer Will Jordan finished off a lengthy phase of play to cut the gap to four points at the break.
After the interval, South Africa pulled away again through tries from Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit. Ethan Blackadder's try in the final quarter brought New Zealand back within eight points, but South Africa closed out the game with further tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom, making replacement Beauden Barrett's late score a mere footnote.
The series is seen as a significant test for both teams ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup, with South Africa and New Zealand having won the past five editions of the tournament between them.
