The sport of rugby union has some truly epic rivalries at international level, which only serve to make encounters between such sides all the more thrilling for fans and neutrals alike.
While you might think of England and Scotland or perhaps Fiji and Samoa in this scenario, one particular rivalry is undoubtedly one of the greats, namely South Africa and Australia – and here we take a closer look at why.
A fierce history
Perhaps one of the core reasons is the ferocious history between the two sides. Even though as separate entities South African and Australian rugby union have hundreds of collective years of playing the game between them, it’s been argued things only started coming to a head in the early 1990s when the sport went professional.
Prior to this, tours between each nation had been going on since the 1930s, with South Africa enjoying the larger share of success. However, from 1972-1992 – also linked to the issues stemming from apartheid – the two didn’t meet.
But then, once the professional era was established and the games returned, regular tours and multiple annual series have become commonplace, with Australia becoming much more of a force to be reckoned with in rugby union. Since this, the win ratios have been much more balanced.
Similar levels of recent success
According to a quote from The Guardian by former Wallaby, Clyde Rathbone, “it’s the similarities more than the differences that drive it” when it comes to this rivalry and a look through the record books suggests this is the case.
Across 93 occasions, Australia has won 40 times and South Africa 50 times. Points wise, South Africa have 1,860 and Australia 1,653 – so taking into account the pre-professional times, there’s not much in it. To add to this, both sides have been world champions and South Africa has three Rugby World Cup titles to their name, while Australia has two.
A wealth of famous names
Depending on which side you’re on you might argue South Africa – with the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Handré Pollard – has more household names these days, but Australia has its fair share of top rugby union players and winners at the highest levels.
Historically as well, both of these nations have produced some of the biggest and brightest stars of the game and with their excellent youth setups, there’s every reason to see this trend continuing.
The potential for more clashes
As alluded to above, the variety of international tests, tours and tournaments means this rivalry will keep on going for a long time, with the promise of highly entertaining clashes. No more so than in the next Rugby World Cup in France. Many neutrals will also be keeping a close eye on the Pool stages, as there’s every possibility we could see a clash between South Africa and Australia in the knockout rounds.