Why are South Africa and New Zealand playing in Baltimore? The inside story of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry

One’s knowledge of Baltimore may depend upon how recently – or, indeed, if at all – you have watched The Wire, but for Springboks and All Blacks fans, the Maryland city will soon be put more emphatically on the map. Come 12 September, officials at World Rugby, SA Rugby and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will hope to be celebrating a sell-out at the M&T Bank Stadium after an ambitious decision to host the fourth and final Test of the inaugural “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series at the ground.

It is an announcement that will be greeted with elevated eyebrows around the rugby world. After three Tests on South African soil – two in Johannesburg, one in Cape Town – had been confirmed for the landmark series, speculation had been rife as to the until-now undisclosed location for the fourth encounter. Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, a ground the Springboks have successfully transformed before, might have felt an obvious fit, but concerns over event saturation with the Nations Championship finals looming at the venue ruled it out. Discussions are understood to have been had over Dublin’s Croke Park, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and even Seville; but, as rugby prepares to fully chase an American dream ahead of the 2031 and 2033 World Cups, Baltimore emerged as a surprising standout option.

“We were approached by a promoter who asked if we would be interested in moving the game to America,” Rian Oberholzer, chief executive of SA Rugby, explains. “It made some sense because as part of World Rugby we agreed on the rugby expansion into America, and the request of World Rugby to take some of our fixtures and events in to the American market.

“It made sense for New Zealand and South Africa to take this one to America, and Baltimore specifically because they are keen to establish themselves as a potential host for the 2031 World Cup in America. That is why they put their hand up.”

Baltimore is one of 27 cities interested in hosting games at the 2031 World Cup, with World Rugby beginning to think about whittling down to a chosen few. At a capacity of 71,000, the M&T Bank Stadium – home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens – is about the right size for this game, with an East Coast location favoured for ease of travelling from Johannesburg and elsewhere. If not quite a Twickenham turnout, it is hoped that a South African diaspora numbering 139,322 (as of 2022) will make their presence known, too.

“It came at the right time for us to be able to take a game to America,” Oberholzer says. “We have huge support from Nike and Coca Cola, who are sponsors. There is a South African contingent in America who we believe would like to see the Boks play. If we can establish ourselves as one of the foreign teams in America in 2031 World Cup to be supported by the new American supporters, then we will have achieved what have set out to achieve.”

Most of the world’s top nations will play fixtures in the United States between now and that men’s World Cup. England took on the USA in Washington DC last year, while the All Blacks and Ireland’s clash at Soldier Field in November was a considerable draw, with tickets said to have been sold to buyers in all 50 states and several Canadian provinces. That game was not without its problems, though, from a messy presentation both in-ground and out to a surface that did not seem up to scratch. SA Rugby and their counterparts have taken lessons from that game and hope to produce an occasion with more of a prestige feel.

More beyond their control may be the geopolitical situation, and the whims of Washington. Oberholzer and other key figures have discussed the matter both internally and with South African politicians, and are not unduly concerned.

“We don’t want to start something that will be an embarrassment for the American government or the South African government,” the SA Rugby CEO stresses. “We are comfortable that we have taken the necessary precautions. We’re trusting World Rugby. They’ve thought long and hard about asking us to bring the game there and supporting us, looking into the consequences. At this moment in time, we are very comfortable that there will not be an issue.”

The goal of growing the game – either commercially or otherwise – in the United States is admirable, but Oberholzer is frank and forthright on why this fixture exists at all. Like most unions, he and SA Rugby are preparing for a World Cup year in 2027 in which their finances take a substantial hit with fewer home fixtures, and the knock-on impacts that has. “This game was always about finding an option where we could make as much financial gain as we could,” Oberholzer says, aided by a confidential contribution from World Rugby.

“We understand the challenges all of us will have in the World Cup year of 2027. We only have three international fixtures [at home], which affects sponsorship and affects broadcast rights. We have to make as much money as we can out of this season and this series so that us and New Zealand can have a bit of a buffer going into 2027.”

If it is commercially imperative to play more Tests, it is vital that player welfare is managed, too. While all nations are dealing with the issues of a crowded calendar, South Africa are particularly acutely afflicted, dealing as they do with a European club schedule and participation in southern hemisphere international competitions.

Oberholzer is an advocate – like Rassie Erasmus, his Springboks supremo – of moving the Rugby Championship closer to the Six Nations window, and hopes that there may soon be progress on a global season that the men’s game has long sought to introduce.

It is a busy year of international action headlined by the new Nations Championship; South Africa will host England, Wales and Scotland in July before this series begins in August.

Oberholzer however dismissed any fears of this fixture becoming something of a sideshow after three thunderous Tests on home soil. “I don’t foresee it will be seen as a festival match when the two play in Baltimore. I don’t think there will ever be a NZ-SA game that will not be high intensity and a must-win.”

To borrow from Baltimore’s best TV show, the warning to New Zealand might be that if they come for the kings, they best not miss.