The Springboks beat the All Blacks 29-24 at Soccer City in Soweto on Saturday 5 September, taking a 2-1 lead in the four-Test series, and the New Zealand side left with more injuries to add to their list, according to Flashscore.
The injuries
Flashscore reported that loose forward Luke Jacobson has been added to the All Blacks’ injury list with an elbow problem. Captain Ardie Savea dislocated a shoulder in the first half of the match, and centre Quinn Tupaea tore a knee ligament, according to All Blacks officials. Jacobson, Savea and Tupaea will all miss the trip to Baltimore for the final Test. Jacobson had taken over the captaincy after Savea left the field, according to 1News, which reported that the three players would fly home to New Zealand instead of joining the squad for the fourth Test. It said Savea will miss the two Bledisloe Cup Tests next month and probably November’s Nations Championship Tests in the UK.
The Springboks also lost a player: winger Cheslin Kolbe broke his jaw in the match and will not travel to the United States, according to Flashscore.
The series
The fourth and final Test is in Baltimore. A New Zealand win would level the series at 2-2. Flashscore noted that this is the All Blacks’ first full tour of South Africa since 1996, and that the series is marketed as the “Greatest Rivalry”, with the winner taking bragging rights and World Rugby’s number one ranking.
Why it matters beyond the pitch
Home Tests are a regular source of business for stadium-area vendors, hotels and broadcasters, and a series that is still alive tends to hold interest. This article does not have figures for the economic effect of this match, and none are given in the reports above. For businesses that depend on sport-driven customers, the more useful signal is the fixture list and any confirmed changes to it, which will come from the teams and the organisers.
