What a series! An unbelievable culmination to this great clash between the two best rugby nations is that they are now playing far away from home in a foreign land where rugby is not even in the top three sports!

The US Open is on prime-time TV, the Yankees are at home, the NFL season starts this week, and the highly competitive college football is already well underway!

However, the interest is through the roof.

I’ve been in New York City for two days and bumped into innumerable people with South African accents or a Kiwi twang who are on their way to Baltimore. Smiling and touristy, they have stood out against the backdrop of many Americans returning to the grind from their summer holidays.

Admittedly, Baltimore does seem a bit strange on the face of it. It’s not a destination I would have chosen on a work or holiday week, and getting there might usually be via Washington or NYC or at least somewhere slightly more interesting.

However, thousands of expats and touring rugby fans have travelled (and are still travelling) to watch the final match of the four-match series. South Africa lead 2-1, and a lot of the old-school pundits felt that the best way to decide this was in an odd denomination.

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Therefore, three matches in South Africa would have been, in inverted commas, “the series and done.”

If that’s the case, South Africa came back and won that 2-1.

Organised, motivated, and in the last two outings, much more dominant.

A standout was the really, really good individual performance from a number of players.

A lot have been holding their end up, definitely, but unable to shine so far, and then composure all the way into the end of a brilliant finish meant that South Africa were dominant in two of the matches after recovering from their first loss to their old foes.

Malcolm Marx has been imperious. Tough as teak in the tackle area, highly accurate in the lineouts, brilliant and strong in the driving mauls. That would have been enough, but his leadership and power in the loose, effective contesting on the ground, and then the dominant scrums alongside his straight-scrumming front row!

They broke the backs of the opposition.

He epitomises the team man and just a good old obstinate, powerful, and charged-up hooker.

He showed amazing strength in a lot of those situations and is a leader in the well-managed scrum environment.

Jesse Kriel at outside centre has affected the game incredibly. His duo with Damian de Allende has been a joy to watch, and the individual tries that he’s scored have affected all of the matches so far and, in fact, probably been the difference between the Springboks and the New Zealand outside backs.

Ox Nche, PSDT and Eben Etzebeth… all of them doing many more good things at the right time in the last two matches than they managed in the first.

However, I wouldn’t take the shine off New Zealand’s victory at Ellis Park. They managed to surprise the Boks, even perhaps talk them out of a game plan.

We’ve covered the off-field antics, and I am certainly happy to admit that despite off-field comments, they put in a performance that shook the Springboks to their core.

It’s just that, though, no DNA, just RSA. The reaction and subsequent performance from the Boks has been brilliant, and it made for a magnificent contest, even if it was both on and off the field!

I think the tension and excitement are already there for this clash in Baltimore – the players shared a plane and made the journey together. Some are already old friends, and they had some friendly banter and catch-ups between them.

It’s great to see social media littered with good quality respect for each other.

The senior names in the All Blacks squad have been like an advertising board for the South African Tourism Association. It’s amazing how many have really stepped in and spent time with the locals, as well as formed some great memories of friends and places that they will want to come back to.

Rugby in America is going on a journey

It’s had a stuttering start, and the domestic competition is not nearly as powerful as that in either New Zealand or South Africa, but as a destination, it shone in hosting a fantastic football World Cup.

Quite rightly, World Rugby has wanted to make it as compelling and exciting a prospective destination for all the travelling fans, and this is part of that initiative.

All the big sports, like baseball, the NFL, and even Major League Soccer, have got grand stadiums and arenas where international teams could take on their old foes.

A Rugby World Cup in just over five years will be one of the best showcases for the sport.

It’s Australia next year first, yes, and there’s lots of preparation for that.

New Zealand and South Africa are leading the pack but will need to watch out for a very talented and organised French team, and a resurgent Wallabies under Les Kiss as well as England’s young but determined squad.

There are many more bumps in the road on the way to that World Cup, and then they have a four-year hiatus before they head back to the United States of America and play their rugby here in the land of the free.

It’s a celebratory week of rugby, some old memories and some new, a new venue, some new fans and some travelling stalwarts.

Whatever we think of a neutral venue, it’s all on the line as the All Blacks know they have what it takes to make it a shared series.

South Africa and the Springboks don’t want that; they want dominance and the title, unshared!

It’s all to play for.