Watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams
The inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry marks one the most significant events in a generation for two of the sport's most storied sides. Set aside the cheesy branding and you have New Zealand's first tour of South Africa in 30 years – and they've drawn first blood.
The All Blacks travel south-west now to face the Springboks at Cape Town Stadium, having scored five tries to the hosts' one to win the opening Test comprehensively, the 35-41 scoreline rather flattering Rassie Erasmus' men. Will Jordan scored the Kiwis' first and last tries, in between which New Zealand tossed the rock around with a fluidity their opponents couldn't live with.
By comparison South Africa were sluggish and sloppy in possession, and to cap a disappointing display the game ended with Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach in the sin-bin. Captain Siya Kolisi and prop Ox Nche look set to return from injury for the 2nd Test, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been dropped and Handre Pollard recalled.
Dave Rennie's men had to work harder than they'd have liked to in a 35-41 comeback win over the Lionson Tuesday, in the last of their four provincial ties. Emoni Narawa scored a last-minute try to deny the URC side a famous upset.
Follow our guide below for where to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN. We've also listed the full schedule and venues below.
South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test |
4.10pm BST – Sat, 29 Aug |
Free streams |
RugbyPass TV (US) / ThreeNow (NZ) |
WATCH ANYWHERE |
How can I watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 for free?
Lucky viewers in the US can watch all eight games of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour for free, plus the women's fixture, courtesy of RugbyPass TV.
In New Zealand, meanwhile, all eight games will be shown on delay later in the day via the free-to-air Three and its ThreeNow streaming platform. Check your listings for the broadcast times.
If you're from the US but you're currently abroad, you can simply use a VPN to tap into that free Rugby's Greatest Rivalry coverage. More details below...
Watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams from anywhere
You won't be able to watch your regular Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams while traveling abroad. The platform will detect that you're in a foreign country and block you.
You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry from anywhere in the world.
We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sports. It offers a generous 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.
How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 in the US
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 is free-to-air in its entirety in the US, thanks to RugbyPass TV. All you need to do is register an account.
Outside the US right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of the rugby.
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Watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in the UK
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 is being shown on Sky Sports in the UK, across its Main Event, Mix and Action channels.
Need the Sky Sports lowdown before you invest? Check out our dedicated guide to all things Sky.
Outside the UK during the tour? Use NordVPN to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry as if you were back at home.
Watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in Australia
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is available to watch on Stan Sport in Australia, which costs AU$20/month on top of a AU$9.99/month Stan base plan.
If you're currently spending time in Australia from the US, use a good VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your free RGR coverage.
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026: Preview
South Africa's back-to-back world champions, led by head coach Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi, geared up with a bruising 17-10 victory over Argentina. They top the World Rugby rankings, with New Zealand close behind.
The Kiwis' 1996 vintage went down as "The Incomparables" for securing New Zealand's first-ever series victory on Springbok turf, the triumphant campaign having followed five previous attempts dating back to 1928. South Africa's 1937 victory in New Zealand, incidentally, remains their only series win in All Blacks' territory.
By almost every metric other than matches in New Zealand, these powerhouse rugby nations are remarkable well-matched. They've met six times at World Cups and won three games apiece; the Boks have four world crowns to the All Blacks' three; and on neutral ground – which is where the fourth and final Test of this series will be staged, in Baltimore, USA – they're on four wins each.
The third of the four Tests will also be a double-header, with New Zealand's Women – the Black Ferns – facing South Africa in a one-off match before the men take centre stage in Johannesburg.
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 schedule
Click to see full schedule▼
(All times BST)
Friday, 7 August
Stormers 21-38 New Zealand (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
Tuesday, 11 August
Sharks 0-54 New Zealand (Kings Park Stadium, Durban)
Saturday, 15 August
Bulls 19-50 New Zealand (Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria)
Saturday, 22 August
South Africa 16-33 New Zealand (Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg)
Tuesday, 25 August
Lions 35-41 New Zealand (Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 29 August
4.10pm – South Africa vs New Zealand (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 5 September
12.30pm – South Africa Women vs New Zealand Women (FNB Stadium)
4.10pm – South Africa vs New Zealand (FNB Stadium, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 12 September
10pm – South Africa vs New Zealand (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, US)
What is the Springboks vs All Blacks head-to-head?
The Springboks have won 43 of their 110 previous encounters with New Zealand. The All Blacks have won 64, and the other four ended in draws.
In South Africa, the head-to-head stands at 28-26-1.
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