Richie Mo'unga doesn't hesitate when asked if these Boks are better than '23

Richie Mo’unga has labelled the 2026 Springboks a “complete team” after Rassie Erasmus’ men clinched a thrilling Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series win in Baltimore.

The RGR trophy may have the ability to be split in two in the event of a drawn series, but those magnets will remain connected for the next four years and will sit next to four Rugby World Cups at South Africa Rugby HQ until the tour returns, on New Zealand soil, in 2030.

South Africa overcame a game-one loss at Ellis Park to claim three consecutive wins over their famous rivals, the All Blacks, including a decisive 43-28 win to seal a historic series win at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. While there were just three points separating the teams at halftime, the Boks struck first and second in the second half, claiming a commanding lead before the two nations traded tries in the final quarter.

“They’re just such a great team at applying pressure and taking opportunities. And we didn’t take ours,” said Mo’unga after his first 80 minutes of Test rugby in 1050 days.

The playmaker’s last international was against South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, which New Zealand famously lost by one point at Stade de France.

Mo’unga’s return Test, his 10th against the Boks, was a less even contest on the scoreboard, prompting a sentiment of admiration from the 32-year-old. He told reporters in Baltimore that South Africa are “definitely” a better side than the one he faced in 2023.

“They’re a complete team: able to take you on up front, able to be really clinical and take you in threes, but also they’ve got players who can play; guys with fast feet out in the backs,” Mo’unga said.

“It presents us with really good opportunities; we know we need to be better, and that’s been the story of the last four Tests. But if we can really take those learnings, it’ll be really exciting for the future of this team.

“I think there’ll be really good conversations around how we can build pressure. I think we’ve seen what we can do with the ball, but it might be what we can do without the ball; really suffocating them down in their own half. It just comes down to some of those small moments I think we can be better in.”

For Mo’unga, who forwent his All Blacks eligibility while spending the last three years plying his trade in Tokyo, the return to the international arena lived up to expectations.

“To be honest, it’s a bit of a blur,” he reflected only an hour after the final whistle. “I’ll have to watch that one back. But just assessing how I’m feeling, man, it’s so special to be back in the Test arena. After three years, it’s exactly what I thought it would be like; the feeling of representing and putting on the jersey again.

“I felt like I belonged out there. The last three years building to that moment, it’s just really worth it, coming back home and giving myself that opportunity.”