All Blacks beat Stormers 38-21 in tour opener

The All Blacks secured a hard-fought 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, August 7, 2026, in the opening match of their "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry" tour. The result was only decided in the final quarter after the Stormers, missing nine Springboks and playing their first full-contact match of the preseason, had matched the world's second-ranked team for nearly 70 minutes.

In front of 47,000 spectators at DHL Stadium, the Stormers held the scores level at 14-14 with 13 minutes remaining. The tourists then scored four tries in the closing stages to pull away, finishing with six tries to three. The match marked the first time the Stormers had hosted the All Blacks in their history.

The All Blacks took an early lead when hooker Samisoni Taukeiaho scored from a rolling maul in the sixth minute. However, the visitors' discipline faltered, with inside centre Anton Lienert-Brown and flanker Simon Parker both receiving yellow cards. The Stormers capitalized, with veteran loose forward Deon Fourie scoring from a maul to level the scores at 7-7. A try from Parker just before halftime gave New Zealand a 14-7 lead at the break.

The Stormers struck back early in the second...