The Springboks delivered a statement performance in Baltimore, dismantling the All Blacks 43-28 to seal the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series with a 3-1 victory. Six tries at M&T Bank Stadium underscored South Africa's superiority across the series, with the second-half display proving particularly devastating as the world champions pulled clear of their old rivals.
Damian de Allende set the tone with tries in each half, whilst Morne van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom all crossed the whitewash. The capacity 71,000 crowd witnessed a clinical exhibition from Erasmus' men, who had already established a 2-1 series lead after the opening three Tests in South Africa.
Arendse and Van den Berg shine
Kurt-Lee Arendse produced an absurdly brilliant performance, making three linebreaks from the wing before shifting to full-back and scoring a belter of a try that effectively sealed the victory. His ability to wiggle through gaps and accelerate into space wreaked havoc throughout, whilst De Allende was everywhere from minute one to 80, emphatic on the gain-line and solid in defence.
Van den Berg, who earned his start after a dynamite cameo off the bench the previous week, crowned a special shift with the Man of the Match award. His sixth Test try came after selling Josh Moorby and Sam Darry, capping a marvellous display from the scrum-half who had been touch-and-go for the series.
Forward dominance seals series
The Springbok pack laid the platform, with Marx and Du Toit both crossing for tries that reflected South Africa's control at the breakdown and set-piece. De Allende's double highlighted his trademark work-rate, whilst Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu produced his best performance of the series, looking far more comfortable as the Springboks attacked with greater freedom than in the previous three Tests.
The series victory reinforces South Africa's status at the summit of world rugby, with the comprehensive nature of the Baltimore triumph suggesting the gap between the Springboks and their closest challengers remains significant. Erasmus will now turn his attention to the challenges ahead, buoyed by a squad depth that allowed him to rotate effectively across the four-match series whilst maintaining ruthless standards.