SA Rugby has revealed that it consulted officials from the South Africa government over relations with the United States before agreeing to host their fourth “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” Test against New Zealand in Baltimore.
The Springboks and All Blacks will clash at M&T Bank Stadium on 12 September in the fourth and final encounter in the landmark series, with the 71,000-capacity venue emerging as a surprise choice for the fixture.
Organisers had considered venues in Europe including Croke Park in Dublin for the Test before a bid emerged from Baltimore, with backing from World Rugby.
The governing body is keen for more top international clashes to be held in the United States as it prepares to take men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups to the country in 2031 and 2033. Baltimore is among 29 cities hoping to host games at the tournament.
The announcement of the encounter nonetheless comes amid a backdrop of complex geopolitical tensions, particularly surrounding the foreign policies of President Donald Trump.
Leading footballing figures in Europe are reported to have held informal conversations over the prospect of a possible boycott of the Fifa World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States in June, in the wake of Trump’s continued suggestions that he wishes to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
While there are no travel restrictions on South Africa, the US government does apply entry restrictions to multiple African countries. SA Rugby chief Rian Oberholzer has said that he sought guidance from South African politicians that the fixture would not cause “embarrassment” for either their, or the American, government
“I hope that the soccer World Cup goes through that pain first and then we follow on through that,” Oberholzer explained. “It’s a challenging one and it’s one we spoke about a lot. But we are supporting World Rugby’s expansion into America. We’re trusting World Rugby also.
“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.
“We have discussed it internally and I also discussed it with our internal politicians. We don’t want to start something that will start an embarrassment for the American government or the South African government.
“We are comfortable that we have taken the necessary precautions and discussed it internally at least.”
Organisers are targeting a sell-out for a potentially commercially significant fixture, with Oberholzer suggesting that they had taken learnings from New Zealand’s clash with Ireland in Chicago in November, which endured a number of difficulties at Soldier Field.
The fourth Test will follow three on South African soil, with two meetings in Johannesburg either side of a clash in Cape Town. The All Blacks will also play the four United Rugby Championship (URC) franchises from South Africa on tour.
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