The captains of South Africa and New Zealand hoped Saturday’s final Greatest Rivalry rugby Test, before almost 70,000 fans at Baltimore’s M&T Stadium, would whet American appetites for the 2031 World Cup, which the US United States will host.
Saturday’s crowd of 68,173 was the largest ever for a rugby international in the US. From the colours speckled among the crowd, most were in the green of South Africa with a few black jerseys of New Zealand and a balance of interested neutrals.
With a rapid double blow at the start of the second half and a powerful finish, South Africa overran New Zealand 43-28 in the fourth and final Test of the series.
Only three points separated the teams at half-time, but tries by Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the 49th and 53rd minutes gave the Springboks a 15-point lead.
The All Blacks counter-punched with a try by Ethan Blackadder before Kurt-Lee Arendse went more than 50 metres for the try that settled the match and series.
Rugby has tried for years to break into the lucrative American sporting market without great success. Saturday’s large and enthusiastic crowd suggested there might yet be a foothold for rugby in America, on ground strongly populated by baseball, basketball and American football.
All Black Codie Taylor and Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi agreed the opportunity for Americans to see more rugby is crucial ahead of the World Cup they will host in five years.
“It’s great to come over here and see what America has to offer,” Taylor said. “They love their sports and they got right behind rugby.
“America has got some great sports and they’re fanatical about every sport they’re involved in. It would be great to see US rugby keep building. Leading into 2031, it’s in a strong place to lay the foundation for what will be an awesome World Cup.”
Kolisi was also positive about the future of rugby in the US. He hoped NFL teams might adopt the game as an offseason option, investing in existing American clubs.
“I think Americans would love rugby if they get to see more of it and if it’s shown a whole lot more on TV,” Kolisi said. “But I think it needs a lot of hard work obviously.
“I really believe if the NFL teams buy into rugby and if they become part-owners in the rugby clubs and if some of their players who don’t get to play often, if they let them play rugby I think that would help the game a lot.
“And also I think it’s a game that Americans would actually enjoy. They love physical sports. So I really think the more teams get to come and play here, the more people are invested in the rugby teams.”