Record crowd in US for Springboks vs All Blacks is World Cup 'appetiser'

The captains of South Africa and New Zealand hoped Saturday's final Greatest Rivalry rugby Test, in front of almost 70,000 fans at NFL side Baltimore Ravens' stadium, would whet American appetites for the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which the United States will host.

Saturday's crowd of 68,173 was the largest ever for a rugby international in the US. The colours speckling the stands revealed that most were in the green of South Africa, with a few black jerseys of New Zealand and a balance of interested neutrals.