Why New Zealand’s tour of South Africa could reshape modern rugby

In the short, sharp world of modern rugby, New Zealand and South Africa have ripped up the form book: the long, old-school tour is back.

The normal All Black schedule of hotel, gym and stadium, with the odd coffee shop visit thrown in, has been swapped for more than five weeks of rambling relatively slowly across South Africa.

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour is already rolling in South Africa, with three out of the four midweek games played by New Zealand against provincial teams, before four Tests, including a money-spinning final game at the home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens in the United States. The tour will return to New Zealand in 2030 and is changing modern rugby.

Former All Blacks second-rower Ian Jones was part of New Zealand’s last full tour of South Africa 30 years ago. Jones’ squad played eight games on that tour, becoming the first All Blacks team to win a series in South Africa when they triumphed 2-1.

Jones now helps to run the All Blacks Experience museum in Auckland and looks at the Test jersey of New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick from the decisive winning Test in Pretoria in 1996 most days. For Jones and his teammates, touring South Africa and winning provided the defining challenge of their rugby careers.

“You had to prepare for a physical war – that’s exactly their [South Africa’s] mentality, they had to physically dominate you, and you had to stand up to that test,” Jones says.

“Looking back at the three Tests we played over there, we were physically and mentally exhausted. It took you to the limit. You had to give every ounce of your being to take on the Springboks.

“That’s what it felt like, wave after wave. It’s not the 80 minutes on the field you see, it’s the whole week of scrutiny and intensity; the pride that everyone in the country of South Africa has. You’ve got to handle that as well.

“When you played those guys, especially over there, it’s always been the kind of Holy Grail for All Blacks.

“You have this beautiful love-hate relationship with the South Africans in general. They truly respect you, like we do them. But when you have that much respect, you also want to beat the opposition, and that brings this amazing intensity that you can use.

“You’re hoping and desperate that these current guardians of that jersey as All Blacks get to feel that same incredible feeling. The six weeks we had there, it’s going to be something that I’ll always look back on, and I want this touring team to feel the same ... these guys now write their own legacy, their own part of history.”

South Africa and New Zealand have played rugby for 105 years. The Springboks have won four World Cups, while the All Blacks have three. For generations, each country has brought out the best in each other on the field, but also lived through some painful history together.

South Africa’s apartheid regime made the game’s greatest rivalry untenable for more than a decade.