1996 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa 1996 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa The 1996 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa was a historic tour in the history of New Zealand rugby. The All Blacks won the test series 2–1 and became known as the incomparables for their feat of winning a series in South Africa for the first time. The Springboks and the All Blacks have been typically regarded by many as the two greatest rugby playing nations of all time. New Zealand and South Africa had clashed in many tours over time which had been hotly contested. This included the
1906–07 South Africa rugby union tour of Europe in 1906 to commemorate the tour. The 1906 Springboks were "the first national team to utilize the 3–4–1 formation". The tour was extremely successful for the South Africans which helped garner respect from the Northern Hemisphere teams and established South Africa as a formidable rugby playing country. In the tests played the team would only lose to Scotland and drew against England. The South African defeat of Wales was a shock to many critics and ended the international careers of some of the greatest Welsh players of the time. Out of 29 matches played, South Africa won 26, lost two