The captains of South Africa and New Zealand hoped Saturday’s final Greatest Rivalry rugby Test, in front of almost 70,000 fans at NFL side Baltimore Ravens’ stadium, would whet American appetites for the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which the United States will host.
Saturday’s crowd of 68,173 was the largest ever for a rugby international in the US. The colours speckling the stands revealed that most were in the green of South Africa, with a few black jerseys of New Zealand and a balance of interested neutrals.
They enjoyed an enthralling Test in which the Springboks ran out 43-28 winners to clinch a 3-1 series victory.
Rugby has tried for years to break into the lucrative American sporting market. Saturday’s large and enthusiastic crowd suggested there might yet be a foothold.
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New Zealand captain Codie Taylor leads a spine-tingling Haka for the first time against South Africa.
Speaking after the clash, All Blacks captain Codie Taylor and his Springboks counterpart, Siya Kolisi, agreed that giving Americans more opportunities to see rugby is crucial to whetting their appetites for 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 obviously 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.”
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Kurt-Lee Arendse pounced on a loose ball after New Zealand knocked on in attack before racing clear to score South Africa’s decisive late try in their 36-21 win.
Kolisi also was positive about the future for rugby in the country and he hopes NFL teams might adopt the game as an offseason option, investing in existing American clubs.
“I really 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.
“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.”
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Pieter-Steph du Toit powered over after South Africa launched from a scrum inside their own half and cut through New Zealand’s defence to extend their lead.
Kolisi hails Rassie: He reminds us where we come from
The fourth Test between South Africa and New Zealand marked Rassie Erasmus’ 100th Test in charge of the Springoks and Kolisi hailed him as the reason why their side are as dominant as they are.
“We’ve got coach Rassie (Erasmus),” he said. “He knows us and gets us up. When he speaks to us he reminds us where we come from.
“The players who are in the group but not playing today, we do it for them, the guys who are injured and also for the people of South Africa who would love to have the opportunities we have.”
South Africa vs New Zealand Test series schedule
All games live on Sky Sports; kick-off times UK and Ireland
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