From Ma'a Nonu’s haka to Rassie’s F-BOMB: Five moments that defined the RGR series

OPINION: The inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series dished up controversy, entertainment, and swashbuckling rugby over seven weeks.

The All Blacks arrived in South Africa as underdogs, but their performances against the four franchises would have given Rassie Erasmus plenty to ponder.

That 33-16 victory in the opening Test at 10Bet Ellis Park stirred the pot, and the Boks adopted the “backs against the wall” mentality thereafter.

To be fair, that approach fuelled them for the rest of the series.

They bounced back in Cape Town, before a fine performance at FNB Stadium in Soweto ensured the Boks had secured half of the trophy and put themselves in a position where they could not lose the series.

The final Test in Baltimore, which ended 43-28, was another Bok masterclass and further stamped Erasmus’ men as the team to beat in world rugby.

A lot (on and off the field) happened in the past seven weeks, and we’ve picked out five top moments that will be remembered for years to come.

Ma’a Nonu’s one-man haka

Views were divided on whether Ma’a Nonu should have been selected to face his former side.

However, Nonu, who has been roped in by the Sharks to play a mentoring role, put on the No.23 jersey and created a rugby moment that will live forever.

After the All Blacks performed the haka, he responded with a powerful solo Kapa o Pango, accepting the challenge laid down by his countrymen.

The match itself was underwhelming, with the Sharks outplayed as the All Blacks ran out 54-0 victors.

It’s a match many people will not remember for what happened on the field, but for Nonu’s unforgettable response to the haka.

Pitchside for one of the most special moments in rugby 👏

Ma’a Nonu steps forward to perform his own Haka at the Shark Tank against the All Blacks 🇳🇿#SSRugby | #RugbysGreatestRivalry pic.twitter.com/stiS47ETlI

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— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 11, 2026

How the Lions dared to dream

Before the Lions took on the All Blacks, the franchise games against the Sharks and Bulls had been complete blowouts.

The Sharks made ‘pre-season’ excuses even before the game, while Bulls coach Johan Ackermann followed the same pattern.

The Lions, however, were eager to go all out, embrace the opportunity and make history by becoming the first side to down Dave Rennie’s men on tour.

At one point, it looked like that dream would become a reality.

The Lions led the Kiwis 35-17 early in the second half, but lapses in concentration and a lack of fitness came back to haunt Ivan van Rooyen’s men.

The All Blacks scored four late tries to steal a dramatic 41-35 victory and escape what could have been a catastrophic loss.

In his post-match press conference, Van Rooyen admitted they had “let it slip”.

In a series where there was so much negativity surrounding the franchise matches, the Lions’ performance stood head and shoulders above the rest and will be remembered for a long time.

Kolbe kicks Boks back to life in Cape Town

After the first Test loss in the Highveld, the Boks needed to respond in Cape Town to keep their hopes of a series win alive.

It was never going to be pretty, and Erasmus’s men had to dig deep on their way to a 33-26 victory.

Cheslin Kolbe played a monumental role in the game, scoring a whopping 18 points with his boot to further underline his importance to the side.

Besides the 18-point haul, Kolbe put in a man-of-the-match performance with the ball in hand and bullied the All Blacks in the aerial battle along with Ethan Hooker.

It was a crucial win for the Boks because a defeat in Cape Town would have meant losing the series, leaving them under immense pressure to win the remaining two Tests just to level it out.

Cheslin Kolbe is playing a different sport 🧠🏉

📺 Stream #RugbysGreatestRivalry on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/3PTg7Yfoo6

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 29, 2026

The war of words and Rassie’s F-BOMB

While the action between the four lines was gripping and entertaining, the off-field drama and antics were something else.

The All Blacks started building up a narrative early on in the series about how they anticipated the Boks would want to slow down play, while they wanted to “play fast”.

The Boks, uncharacteristically, fell into the trap, and Erasmus felt it was right to respond to the allegations with referee advisor Jaco Peyper.

When that narrative ran its course, Rennie and his coaching staff switched their attention to accusing the Boks of “walking around” in the scrum.

Rennie made the comments after the Cape Town Test, and when Erasmus was asked for a response, he said: “We’re not f***ing walking around.”

Those words will surely be remembered for a long time to come.

The scrum debate carried on into the third Test in Soweto, and when the All Blacks lost that game, Rennie had run out of mind games to play.

Boks save “Tonyball” for the final dance

The only blemish to the series would be the fact that both unions, SA Rugby and NZ Rugby, agreed to have the final Test in America.

While it was for massive financial gain, it took away the real essence of the series and deprived South African fans of witnessing captain Siya Kolisi hoist up the trophy on SA soil.

Nevertheless, the Boks made a statement in the final game and dominated their opponents in almost all facets of the game.

After relying heavily on their power in the previous three Tests, the Boks went back to the famous “Tonyball” in Baltimore and played an expansive but rewarding game.

They outscored the All Blacks six tries to four and ripped apart their defence with some sizzling line breaks, one of which resulted in a try for Kurt-Lee Arendse.

The Boks only received two scrum penalties on the day, underlining their intent to give the ball some air and match the All Blacks in their own game.

It was the second time in 12 months that they scored 40-plus points against the Kiwis after they defeated them 43-10 in Wellington last year.

*Tell us in the comments what your top moments were from the series!*