CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The All Blacks opened their historic Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour with a 38-21 victory over the Stormers on Friday at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, overcoming a stubborn Stormers side before pulling away late.
The match marked the beginning of New Zealand’s first full-scale tour of South Africa in 30 years, with the All Blacks set to face four South African franchises before meeting the Springboks in a four-Test series.
New Zealand looked in control early, but the Stormers refused to go away. The sides were locked at 14-14 with 65 minutes played, setting up a tense finish before the All Blacks’ depth and attacking firepower ultimately took over.
All Blacks Pull Away Late
Samisoni Taukei’aho led the way for New Zealand with two tries, while Simon Parker, Rieko Ioane, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Asafo Aumua also crossed the try line.
Beauden Barrett and Josh Jacomb contributed conversions as the All Blacks finished with six tries from their attacking effort, with Taukei’aho’s double providing an early spark.
Ioane was particularly influential as New Zealand regained control, while the All Blacks eventually capitalized on the Stormers’ fatigue in the closing stages. Four of New Zealand’s tries came late as the visitors turned a closely contested match into a 17-point victory.
The Stormers produced plenty of resistance of their own. Deon Fourie scored their opening try, while Seabelo Senatla also crossed. The home side was awarded a late penalty try following a high tackle by Josh Moorby.
The Stormers’ fight was especially impressive considering the side entered the match without several of its leading players, who were away with the Springboks.
A Strong Start to a Historic Tour
While the final scoreline suggests a comfortable All Blacks victory, the performance was far from straightforward. New Zealand battled discipline issues and spent stretches of the match under pressure, including periods when they were reduced to 14 men.
Still, the All Blacks found another gear when it mattered most.
Head coach Dave Rennie praised his team’s resilience following the win, while acknowledging areas that need improvement, particularly at set piece and in the aerial contest. He also pointed to the team’s conditioning and ability to carry the ball and compete at the ruck as positives.
For New Zealand, the victory provides an important opening statement as the All Blacks embark on a demanding tour that will test their depth ahead of their upcoming battles with the Springboks.
The tour continues Tuesday in Durban, where the All Blacks will face the Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, before meetings with the Bulls, Lions and eventually the Springboks.
Final: All Blacks 38, Stormers 21.
The first chapter of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has officially begun.
