Rassie Erasmus plays down any arrogance in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour announcement

While it may appear arrogant to some that Rugby' s Greatest Rivalry Tour gets such a hefty moniker, Erasmus claims it's more an ode to the proud history shared between the Springboks and the All Blacks.

The teams first played in 1921 and have locked horns 110 times since, with the All Blacks leading 63-43 (and four draws). But perhaps more importantly, they do share the last five World Cups, strong evidence to support the 'greatest' tag.

The return of the traditional tour was announced on Thursday. Starting in 2026, the All Blacks will tour the Republic for eight matches. The Springboks will return the favour in the Land of the Long White Cloud in 2030.

Speaking to the press after the announcement, Erasmus was adamant that the Greatest Rivalry Tour does not denigrate other international competitions around the world.

"I think the name The Greatest Rivalry says a lot, but I hope people don't see that in an arrogant way," said the two-time World Cup winner.

"It's just the history between us and New Zealand is really rich.

"The Six Nations is an awesome tournament, the Top 14 is an awesome tournament. So for us to say this is The Greatest Rivalry is not to say it's better than other competitions, it's just this rivalry between us and New Zealand has been going on for so long.

"I know the game is helluva professional now but I think, overall, most of the players will enjoy it. As we used to."

Casting his mind back to when he was a boy, Erasmus recalled the excitement generated by the Boks' 1981 Rebel tour to New Zealand, then the unofficial 1986 Cavaliers tour to South Africa.

"I was a small boy but I can remember the flour bomb incidents," he added.

"For us it was lockdown in world rugby with apartheid and everything. Then there was a Cavaliers tour to South Africa. I remember watching that one."

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