Former South Africa captain Jean de Villiers says the Springboks delivered a “fantastic performance” after their 43-28 win over New Zealand sealed a 3-1 series victory in Baltimore on Saturday.
The reigning world champions bounced back from losing the opening Test to win three matches in a row against their biggest rivals in the four-Test ‘Greatest Rivalry’ series.
“This success will live long in the memory. We must celebrate how we recovered from losing the first Test to win three in a row,” De Villiers told SuperSport TV.
The Springboks scored six tries to the All Blacks’ four in the American city, with the aerial battle proving crucial to their success.
Turning point in the series
Former captain Victor Matfield praised the team’s ability to reverse their fortunes after falling behind in the series.
“This team has an incredible ability to turn things around. We were trailing in the series just a few weeks ago and now we are jubilant,” Matfield said.
He highlighted the aerial contest as a key factor in the victory, noting concerns before the series about that area of play.
“We grew stronger as the series developed. We must also salute head coach Rassie Erasmus. He did not panic after the first Test loss. He said then that we could still win the series,” Matfield added.
Arendse shines in the air
Fellow former captain Schalk Burger said the Springboks “always find a way” to win, praising wing Kurt-Lee Arendse’s performance in the aerial battles.
“The second half was a different story. We dominated the aerial battle and I thought Kurt-Lee Arendse was outstanding,” Burger said.
Former wing Breyton Paulse also singled out Arendse’s aerial work despite his smaller stature.
“Kurt-Lee is not a tall player, yet he won numerous aerial duels. That is amazing, truly amazing,” Paulse said.
He praised hooker Malcolm Marx as the series standout, saying: “His strength, his skill, his commitment. What a Springbok.”
Looking ahead
South Africa face Australia in Perth on 29 September before travelling to Europe in November for matches against Italy, France and Ireland in the Nations Championship.
Coach Erasmus has hinted that players who did not feature against New Zealand, including fly-half Handre Pollard and Franco Mostert, will get game time against the Wallabies.
The Baltimore victory gives South Africa a 7-1 record for 2026, having earlier beaten England, Scotland, Wales and Argentina.
