N Zealand, S Africa take ultimate rivalry to grandest stage of all

CAPE TOWN : For New Zealand and South Africa there is no bigger challenge than what both consider rugby’s greatest rivalry and the World Cup final on Saturday will be among their most significant clashes with each team seeking a record fourth global title.

The rich history of this 102-year-old fixture has seen political turmoil, countless bruising battles, a previous World Cup final and even a 0-0 draw.

New Zealand have a sizeable lead in the head-to-head with 62 wins to South Africa’s 39 in 105 matches and are the only nation the Springboks have a negative win-loss ratio against.

Conversely, however, New Zealand’s lowest win percentage versus any opponents (59 per cent) is against the Springboks.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi calls it "the biggest sporting rivalry in history" while former New Zealand winger Jeff Wilson believes it is a thread that connects the two nations.

"It is such an important part of the two countries and how they are connected," Wilson said. "It is competitive on the field, but you can see off it there is a healthy respect."

They first met in 1921 when South African embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, with a three-match test series drawn, the third game finishing 0-0.

That last match was played in horrendous conditions but the tour would be the start of a love-hate relationship that endures.

Tours controversially continued through the Apartheid era until 1981, when South Africa visited New Zealand for a series of three tests that were interrupted by protesters.

South Africa’s presence in New Zealand split opinion in a mix of politics and sport, even as the Springboks relaxed their all-white selection policy to include a single Black player in flyhalf Errol Tobias.

New Zealand won the