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.
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