Overview
- The four‑Test tour is level at 1‑1 and the third Test will be played at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday 5 September with kick‑off at 17:10.
- A public spat over scrum technique between All Blacks coach Dave Rennie and Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has put match officials under intense scrutiny and made scrum rulings a potential match‑decider.
- New Zealand have refreshed their pack for the third Test with Asafo Aumua at hooker, Peter Lakai at flanker and Sam Darry at lock while Codie Taylor was dropped from the starting XV.
- South Africa have restored senior forwards after late front‑row changes in Cape Town and face questions about physical and emotional fatigue after an intense ‘survival’ win that emptied the tank for some players.
- With a near‑90,000 crowd expected, high altitude and World Rugby attention on official feedback, the result in Johannesburg will shape series momentum, global rankings and the lead‑up to the fourth Test in Baltimore.