The rain came down at Kings Park, and so did the All Blacks.
New Zealand produced a ruthless second-half surge to swamp the Sharks 54-0 on Tuesday night, scoring eight tries in a Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour match that became increasingly one-sided as the heavens opened.
The scoreboard tells a brutal story. The first half offered the Sharks a flicker of resistance, with the visitors leading 14-0 at the interval. The second half turned into a black avalanche, with New Zealand adding six tries to leave the Sharks chasing shadows through the Durban downpour.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie fielded what amounted to a shadow Test side, with scrumhalf Cam Roigard withdrawn as a precaution. The Sharks were also forced into late reshuffling, losing lock Emile van Heerden and Springbok flank Vincent Tshituka to injury.
The night began with theatre.
Following the All Blacks’ traditional Ka Mate haka, Ma’a Nonu delivered a one-man Kapa o Pango, a spine-tingling salute from the 44-year-old former New Zealand centre who arrived in Durban only last week.
The Sharks initially showed plenty of bite, even crossing the All Blacks’ tryline before being held up.
New Zealand eventually cracked the resistance in the 18th minute. Slick handling sent winger Fehi Fineanganofo diving over in the right corner.
Damian McKenzie appeared to score soon afterwards after collecting a kick, yet the TMO spotted a knock-on after the conversion had been taken.
The visitors needed no invitation. Jordie Barrett’s cross-kick found Fineanganofo, who fed McKenzie inside. The fullback appeared to ground the ball before being tackled into touch, with the TMO unable to overturn the referee’s decision after water obscured the crucial evidence. Ruben Love converted for a 14-0 half-time lead.
Then the floodgates burst.
A burst of pace from DMac 👟💨
The All Blacks silence the Sharks in the first half 🇳🇿👏
📺 Stream #RugbysGreatestRivalry on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/ER9Dku7dqn
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 11, 2026
Caleb Clarke and Fineanganofo crossed in opposite corners, both tries converted, before Barrett finished another sweeping attack.
Cue Nonu.
The veteran centre entered from the Sharks bench to the biggest roar of the night from a disappointingly sparse crowd. His first statement came in the form of a thunderous hit on Love, a reminder that the old rugby engine still has plenty of octane.
The black tide kept rolling.
Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Sam Darry added further tries as New Zealand completed a comprehensive eight-try demolition.
Fineanganofo finished with two tries, while McKenzie, Clarke, Barrett, Preston, Tavatavanawai and Darry each crossed once. Love converted seven times.
For the Sharks, the evening offered a hard lesson in the value of precision, depth and patience. For the All Blacks, it was a rain-soaked statement delivered with the subtlety of a wrecking ball.
New Zealand now heads to Pretoria to face the Bulls on Saturday. The Sharks return to the drawing board as their URC preparations continue.
Kings Park had been billed as a shark tank. On this wet Tuesday night, it became an All Blacks aquarium.
ALL BLACKS – Tries: Fehi Fineanganofo (2), Damian McKenzie, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Sam Darry. Conversions: Ruben Love (7).
