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All Blacks and Springboks players united in prayer after their Baltimore clash, while Christian captain Siya Kolisi and Ardie Savea continue to testify openly about Jesus.

New Zealand’s All Blacks and the South African Springboks have marked the close of their new Rugby test series with prayer.

Side by side, both teams stood and knelt together with heads bowed after SA beat NZ 43-28 in the United States city of Baltimore.

While mainstream coverage was spread thin, South Africa’s public broadcaster acknowledged the prayer, as did Christian sports outreach platform Jesus My Goal (JMC).

Rivals Kneel Together in Prayer

Commenting on the 12 September Maryland moment, JMC said,

“It’s powerful to see some of the world’s best rugby players publicly acknowledge that there is something greater than the game itself. To God be the glory.”

New Zealand’s coverage tended to focus more on the scores.

Some official channels, like ESPN and the All Blacks management, seemed to downplay the prayer by referring to it as a respect huddle.

For instance, ESPN’s Latin-American branch referred to the post-game prayer as a middle court sign of respect.

“As if it were part of a movie,” ESPN said, “all the players gathered in the middle of the court, kneeling and hugging each other, showing the respect they have for one another.”

Likewise, in an official YouTube post, the All Blacks management wrote, “Four Tests, one series, everything on the line.”

“When the final whistle went in Baltimore, the All Blacks and Springboks came together in a huddle, arm in arm, a mark of respect after one of the great rivalries in world rugby delivered another classic.”

“Rivals to the final. Brothers after,” they added.

Siya Kolisi: A Special Moment of Brotherhood

Talking about the prayer during a team press conference, Christian and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said,

“We just came together to thank each other for the [Greatest Rivalry] series.”

“We go against each other all the time, but we get along off the field. There’s no argument; we’re good friends.”

“It’s tough when we’re on the field,” he remarked.

“The way they [All Blacks] came to South Africa and embraced our country and the way they gave themselves to people in the country, we were just saying thanks.”

“It’s tough that one team has to win and one team has to lose, but with the respect that we have for each other, we shared a prayer together.”

“It was a really special moment,” stated Kolisi.

All Blacks captain and Kolisi’s close friend, Ardie Savea, was absent from the Baltimore game.

An injury knocked him out of the series.

According to the AP, the New Zealander “dislocated his shoulder during the third test of the four-test series, which South Africa won 3-1.”

That injury required surgery, putting Savea out of the All Blacks’ battle for the Bledisloe Cup against the Wallabies in October.

AP said it’s unlikely Savea will play again in 2026.

Ardie Savea’s Encounter With God

Discussing the injury as part of a devotional shared on his ASAV World YouTube channel, Savea said that it led him to a “special encounter with God.”

“I asked my friends to play worship music while they were putting all the wires and needles in.”

“The whole time,” he recalled, “I thought I was awake. I just saw like burning white fiery light.”

“I encountered the Lord, and I was just weeping, just praising, just everything of the Lord.”

“I was thanking Him, talking to Him for what felt like an hour.”

Waking up after being sedated, Savea said, “I just got up and praised the Lord in front of everyone.”

“I had five people doing my shoulder, some ambulance officers and some All Blacks staff. God is real. Jesus is real.”

From that moment on, he added, “I think I felt the Lord tell me don’t wait. No more waiting. Do, go, follow. Seek. Stand firm. Be still.”

In “every little thing, do not let fear cripple us. Honestly, life is too short.”

Savea then asked subscribers to pray for his family and called on people to pray for his auntie, who passed recently.

“Tomorrow is never guaranteed,” Savea affirmed.

Speaking about the break in his routine, the All Black captain said he got up wondering about his purpose.

“I can’t train. You kind of question and feel sorry for yourself.”

“It’s a great reminder for me that the Lord, in this season of mine, something’s going to happen,” Savea testified.

“I just have to stand still. Do not be afraid; stand firm and seek Him.”

He then encouraged those watching to “all do that.”

“Clean hearts,” he concluded, “God’s heart. Thank you, Jesus.”

Rugby Rivals Point Beyond the Game

Commenting on Savea’s Instagram post about the injury, Australian Israel Folau said, “Healing in Jesus’ name.”

All Black flanker Wallace Sititi dropped a heart emoji, and Siya Kolisi encouraged his opponent and injured brother in Christ with, “I love you.”

Illustrating the consistency of his faith and the sense of Christian brotherhood he shares with the Springbok captain, Savea attended church with Kolisi when he was in South Africa.

As Savea said on Instagram at the time,

“Nothing better than being in the presence of the Lord with my brother in Christ. A powerful word today on staying faithful in unexpected places. Acts 28:1-11.”

Kolisi, Savea and the team prayer are all another miracle mile, indicative of the broader culture wrestling its way back to Christ.