South Africa's Springbok rugby team secured their biggest-ever win against New Zealand's All Blacks in Wellington on September 13, 2025, with a dominant 43-10 scoreline in the "Four Nations" Rugby Championship. After trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Springboks scored 36 unanswered points in the second half, that included a flurry of tries from numerous Springboks. The highlights and player reactions are in the video below.
This victory marked the All Blacks' heaviest-ever test defeat and bettered South Africa's previous record win against them (35-7 in 2023). The Springboks delivered a clinical and physical performance, dominating the second half with five unanswered tries. Winger Cheslin Kolbe scored two tries, while Manie Libbok, at flyhallf, contributed five conversions. This win was a powerful bounce-back after the previous week's loss to the All Blacks. The Springboks then went on to beat Argentina yesterday, September 27th, and are now leading the points table for the Championship. Above is the points table and a few possible permutations after next weekend’s final two matches. The Southern Hemisphere “4 Nations” Rugby Championship competition has only that one leg remaining.
As you can see in the table above, the 2025 Rugby Championship is heading for a stunning conclusion, with Southern Hemisphere supremacy on the line. Any one of South Africa, New Zealand or Australia can still win the overall trophy. But for one of these teams, this tournament is about more than just a trophy; it's about cementing a dynasty. The reigning champions, South Africa, stand on the brink of making history by claiming their first-ever back-to-back Rugby Championship titles. Victory this year would not only etch the Springboks' name into the record books but would also solidify their position as the undisputed number one ranked team in World Rugby. This monumental achievement would carry immense psychological weight, propelling them into their preparations for the next World Cup which is less than two years away.
For those new to the Rugby Championship tournament, the winner is determined by a precise points system that rewards not just victories, but attacking play too in the form of bonus points. A win gets a team 4 points, 2 for a draw and no points for a loss. Under each scenario there are still bonus points on offer, specifically for teams that win there is one potential bonus point - the attacking bonus point. This bonus point is awarded if a team scores at least three tries more than their opponents. There used to be a bonus point available for any team that scored four tries in one match (as for other professional rugby competitions like Europe’s URC). The modification to the bonus point rules, introduced in 2016, rewards true dominance, not just high-scoring draws or narrow victories. This system means a victorious team can bag either 4 or 5 points (4 for a win, plus 1 for the attacking bonus point); and a team that draws can collect 2 or 3 points (2 for the draw, plus 1 for the attacking bonus point).
A draw likely won’t matter in the final analysis next weekend. If the Springboks win with a bonus point (ie they sore 3 tries more than Argentina) then they win the championship (the 20 points scenario above). However, if SA don’t get a bonus point and the All Blacks do get a bonus point then both teams finish on 19 and the tie-break rules kick in. Should two or more teams finish level on points (there are scenarios where Australia could get there too) for the top spot, the tiebreakers are invoked in this order:
1. Total number of wins in the competition. Will be equal between the All Blacks and the Springboks if they finish in a tie.
2. Number of wins against the other team/s tied on points (head-to-head). All Blacks and Springboks will be tied again.
3. Overall match score differential (points scored in all matches during the tournament minus points conceded). This is where the differential comes in as the Springboks are far ahead on match point difference. In this event the Springboks should win it because the All Blacks would need to make up [6] plus [55] plus [whatever the difference in score between SA-Arg is next weekend]. That would be an insurmountable match score difference and SA would win.
To retain this Southern Hemisphere trophy for the first time ever, South Africa just has to win their final match against Argentina, by any scoreline - one point would suffice. The All Blacks vs Wallabies game is first next Saturday and the Springboks will know exactly where they stand going into the Pumas match in London later that day.
The Springboks' path to history is clear: one final dominant performance is all that is required to fend off their biggest rivals. Should they secure the title, it would be a monumental achievement, surpassing all previous eras of South African rugby which failed to secure consecutive Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship titles. A win would not only secure their world number one ranking, but would also firmly establish the Springboks as the team to beat going into the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
