How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry: FREE streams, TV channels, schedule for New Zealand's 2026 tour of South Africa, 1st Test up next

Cheslin Kolbe of South Africa and Beauden Barrett of New Zealand compete for the ball during a rugby union match between New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa Springboks.
(Image credit: oe Allison/Getty Images)

Watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams as the top two men's rugby union teams in the world prepare to do battle over four highly anticipated Test matches – the climax of a grueling six-week tour of South Africa for the All Blacks of New Zealand.

With seven Rugby World Cup and 26 Rugby Championship/Tri-Nations titles between them and a history that goes back 105 years, there's a compelling case to be made that South Africa vs New Zealand genuinely is 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'. Yet the public has been starved of it in recent years – this is the All Blacks' first tour of South Africa in 30 years. The newly monikered event will take place every four years starting with 2026's inaugural edition, with the sides alternating as hosts.

New Zealand's men are playing eight matches in total over the course of their excursion across the Southern Ocean, including four tour games and four Tests. It kicked off with a hard-fought win over the Stormers before much more dominant displays and a total of 16 tries against the Sharks and Bulls.

Dave Rennie will be hopeful that his men can take that momentum into the huge first Springboks vs All Blacks clash that's up next on Saturday, August 22 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. And, at the end of it, a fourth and final Test hosted in Baltimore, USA.

Here's how to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 from anywhere in the world – including for FREE – and we also have the full schedule, dates, kick-off times and results so far of the All Blacks' tour of South Africa below.

Can I watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 for free?

Yes. Every match of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 will be free-to-air on Rugbypass TV in the US.

New Zealanders can watch all eight games on delay later in the day via the free-to-air Three and its ThreeNow streaming platform. Check your listings for the broadcast start times of each match.

Plus, Pasifika TV that serves the Pacific region has also confirmed that it will be showing the four tour matches at no cost.

Traveling overseas right now? You can use a VPN to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 for free as if you were right at home.

Next fixture – Saturday, August 22

Saturday, August 22 (1st Test)
South Africa vs All Blacks – Ellis Park (Johannesburg) at 5pm SAST / 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm BST / 1am AEST (Sun) / 3am NZT (Sun)

Use a VPN to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 from anywhere

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Get NordVPN and stream Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 from anywhere.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple:

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the UK and want to view your usual US service, you'd select a United States server from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your usual local streaming service and watch the rugby.

How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in the US

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All eight matches of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 will be live streamed for FREE on Rugbypass TV in the US.

The dedicated rugby streaming platform can be watched on its website or mobile app, and through Chromecast, Airplay, Apple TV and Android TV. All you need to do is create a free account.

Outside the US for any of the games? Use NordVPN to access your usual streams.

How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in South Africa

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The Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa across its Grandstand and Rugby channels.

You'll need the DStv Premium package to watch every game of the tournament online, costing Rs699 a month for live streaming.

Abroad right now? Use a VPN to tell your device that you're back home and you'll be good to go.

How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in New Zealand

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Sky Sport NZ is providing comprehensive Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live coverage in New Zealand.

You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream, with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at $29.99 per day or $59.99 per month. Sky Sport also gave a free pass for the very first game against the Stormers on Saturday, August 8.

Happy to wait a few hours to watch? Three and ThreeNow are showing all eight matches of the All Blacks tour absolutely free. The catch is that the broadcast time will begin a couple of hours after the final whistle of each game. Check Three's listings for the times, as they vary from game-to-game.

Away from NZ? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.

How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in the UK

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In the UK, Rugby's Greatest Rivalry matches in 2026 are being shown on Sky Sports.

Sky Sports plans start from £35 a month or £22 if you're an existing Sky TV subscriber. Alternatively, grab a Now Sports membership from £14.99 a day or £27.99 a month.

Outside the UK right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of New Zealand's tour to South Africa.

How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in Australia

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Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 is going out on Stan Sport in Australia.

Stan Sport costs AU$20 a month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$9.99 a month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action as if you were back home.

How to watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 live streams in Canada

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In Canada, Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 is exclusive to Premier Sports.

Plans cost CA$29.99 a month, CA$79.99 for six months or CA$139.99 for a whole year.

Premier Sports has become the home of rugby in Canada, with live coverage of top-level competitions including the Nations Championship and Six Nations.

If you're out of Canada but don't want to miss out, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your subscriptions from anywhere.

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry schedule 2026 & results

Friday, August 7
DHL Stormers 21-38 All Blacks – DHL Stadium (Cape Town)

Tuesday, August 11
Hollywoodbets Sharks 0-54 All Blacks – Hollywoodbets Kings Park (Durban)

Saturday, August 15
Vodacom Bulls 19-50 All Blacks – Loftus Versfeld Stadium (Pretoria)

Saturday, August 22 (1st Test)
South Africa vs All Blacks – Ellis Park (Johannesburg) at 5pm SAST / 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm BST / 1am AEST (Sun) / 3am NZT (Sun)

Tuesday, August 25
Lions vs All Blacks – Ellis Park (Johannesburg) at 7pm SAST / 1pm ET / 10am PT / 6pm BST / 3am AEST (Wed) / 5am NZT (Wed)

Saturday, August 29 (2nd Test)
South Africa vs All Blacks – DHL Stadium (Cape Town) at 5pm SAST / 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm BST / 1am AEST (Sun) / 3am NZT (Sun)

Saturday, September 5 (3rd Test)
South Africa Women vs Black Ferns – FNB Stadium (Johannesburg) at 1.30pm SAST / 7.30am ET / 4.30am PT / 12.30pm BST / 9.30pm AEST (Sun) / 11.30pm NZT (Sun)

South Africa vs All Blacks – FNB Stadium (Johannesburg) at 5pm SAST / 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm BST / 1am AEST (Sun) / 3am NZT (Sun)

Saturday, September 12 (4th Test)
South Africa vs All Blacks – M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore) at 11pm SAST / 5pm ET / 2pm PT / 10pm BST / 7am AEST (Sun) / 9am NZT (Sun)

Can I watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 on my mobile?

Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser. For example, Rugbypass TV, Sky Sports (via Sky Go) and Stan Sport all have dedicated mobile apps.

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Adam was formerly the Content Director of Subscriptions and Services at Future, meaning that he oversaw many of the articles TechRadar produces about antivirus software, VPN, TV streaming, broadband and mobile phone contracts - from buying guides and deals news, to industry interest pieces and reviews. Adam has now dusted off his keyboard to write articles for the likes of TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide.

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