The four-match Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series that opens at Ellis Park on Saturday is the 13th between the two countries. After 12 series the ledger reads five wins apiece with two drawn, meaning one side will break the deadlock when the current campaign concludes.

Across 110 Tests played, South Africa hold a record of W43, L63, D4. The split at home is considerably more favourable — W28, L25, D1 from 54 matches in South Africa — compared to New Zealand, where the Boks have won only 11 of 48. On neutral ground the sides are level at four wins each from eight.

Fifty-three of those 110 matches were decided by a converted try or fewer: South Africa won 24 and New Zealand 25 of those tight contests.

Pieter-Steph du Toit captains the Boks for the series. The last Springbok captain to lead a home series was Gary Teichmann in 1996, when South Africa lost 1–2.

At Ellis Park specifically, the Boks have won 10 and lost six of 16 Tests against New Zealand. Cape Town Stadium hosts its first Test between the sides — the Boks won the only previous meeting on that ground in 2023 — while FNB Stadium has produced two All Black wins from two.

Pollard's individual milestones

Handré Pollard enters the series as South Africa's leading points-scorer against New Zealand with 169, well clear of Morné Steyn's 139 and Percy Montgomery's 106. Steyn and Pollard are level on 36 penalties each — the most by any Springbok against the All Blacks — and Pollard shares the record for dropped goals with Montgomery. He already leads outright for conversions. Rassie Erasmus has confirmed he will use all three No 10s across the series, so Pollard will have competition for those opportunities.

Try-scoring records

Bryan Habana's mark of eight tries against New Zealand remains the Springbok record. Malcolm Marx, with six, needs two more to draw level; Cheslin Kolbe, on five, needs three. Kwagga Smith and Willie le Roux are among those on four.

Erasmus's record in the fixture

Since taking charge in 2018, Erasmus's Springboks are W8, L6, D1 against the All Blacks across 15 Tests. At home that reads W3, L2 from five; in New Zealand W2, L2, D1 from five; and on neutral ground W3, L2 from five.

In the five-point try era — since 1992 — South Africa have won only 23 of 73 Tests against New Zealand, with 34 of those played at home.