Former New Zealand flyhalf Stephen Donald says the All Blacks’ four-match Test series against the Springboks next year will produce “as high a level of footy as you can get”.
The All Blacks will arrive in South Africa in August 2026 for their first full tour since 1996, when Sean Fitzpatrick’s team became the first from New Zealand to win a Test series there.
Dubbed “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry”, Scott Robertson’s men will play eight matches: four against South Africa’s URC franchises and a four-Test series – three in South Africa and one at a yet-to-be-confirmed overseas venue.
“From a playing point of view, it’s the greatest test,” Donald said on The Aftermatch with Kirst & Beav. “You’re going into proper games of rugby against the biggest and best opposition New Zealand will face. It’s a rugby country, the stadiums are iconic and the atmosphere is something else.”
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Donald admitted he initially thought a tour of this scale wouldn’t happen in the modern era.
“I first heard whispers at the [2023] World Cup and thought, ‘No way in the modern game.’ You figured fully fledged tours were gone – outside of the [British & Irish] Lions. So this is brilliant news.”
Donald reflected on the significance of the 1996 series.
“We were almost educated on how big ’96 was – the first New Zealand team to win a series in South Africa, with legends like Fitzy [Sean Fitzpatrick] and Zinzan [Brooke]. It underlined how tough it is there and why the Boks are the benchmark.
“I was 12 at the time and had to be told by my dad how massive it was. I didn’t grow up knowing the whole story about South African rugby, apartheid and everything that came with it. It was only later that you realised no New Zealand team had ever gone there and won a series. That’s what makes it so special.”
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The 2011 World Cup winner highlighted South Africa’s famed venues and match-day theatre.
“Ellis Park on Test day is special – you’ll get the flyover, the noise, the whole show. Loftus is probably the most hostile stadium in world rugby. You’re dropped near the fans, the braais line the streets, the altitude hits – there’s nothing quite like it.”
Donald expects a brutal month of Test rugby for both teams and welcomes the franchise fixtures.
“Four weeks of back-to-back Test matches is as high a level of footy as you can get. That’s a huge ask, but that’s what makes this tour so massive.
“Playing the South African franchises again is outstanding. Those teams are stacked with Springboks – great preparation and great theatre for the tour.”
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And for travelling fans?
“In places like Cape Town, the welcome is unreal. The connection with Kiwi rugby is real – you’ll see it at the airport and in the stands. Fans will travel in big numbers for this.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
