Photo via BBC Sport

South Africa cap series victory over NZ with Baltimore win

South Africa secured a 3-1 series triumph against New Zealand by defeating their rivals 43-28 during the final Test in Maryland. A record-breaking gathering of 68,173 spectators packed Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium—the greatest turnout ever recorded for a rugby contest in the United States—to witness the reigning world titleholders rebound from their early-tour setback in Johannesburg, fulfilling the prior forecast of director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.

Codie Taylor initiated the scoring for the All Blacks via an eighth-minute touchdown, but the Springboks answered through interior scores from Damian de Allende and Morne van den Berg, establishing a 17-7 buffer despite several kicking blunders by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Will Jordan capped a grueling 32-phase sequence to pull Dave Rennie's side within three points by the interval, where New Zealand trailed 17-14.

The Springboks exerted dominance after the restart, however, beginning when Malcolm Marx finished off an organized maul. South Africa built on their advantage with additional five-pointers from Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe's fellow outside threat Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cameron Hanekom, and a second from De Allende, while Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Van den Berg, and Manie Libbok contributed conversions alongside an earlier penalty.

Although Ethan Blackadder and Beauden Barrett also crossed for New Zealand—with Damian McKenzie kicking four two-pointers—the Southern Hemisphere powerhouses could not level the contest or claim a portion of the magnet-linked trophy. This conclusive meeting served as pivotal groundwork for both traditional superpowers, who have collectively captured the preceding five World Cup crowns, ahead of next season's showcase tournament.