Overview
- South Africa beat New Zealand 29-24 at FNB Stadium on Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in the four-Test series and set up a winner-takes-all final in Baltimore next weekend.
- Cheslin Kolbe suffered a broken jaw and Ardie Savea sustained a shoulder injury that rule both players out of the series and force their teams into late selection changes.
- The match was decided by Springbok set-piece power including a 36th-minute penalty try and maul scores that repeatedly put New Zealand under pressure.
- All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has raised concerns about South African scrummaging and was publicly rebutted by Rassie Erasmus, turning refereeing and scrum interpretation into a central off-field issue.
- Australia finished an unbeaten tour of Argentina under Les Kiss and now face the Springboks later this month, while both series results have nudged World Rugby rankings and intensified selection pressure ahead of the Baltimore decider.