How Rugby's Greatest Rivalry could end in a trophy-splitting draw

The All Blacks are in the Republic for three blockbuster Tests, with the final Test being played in Baltimore, USA. As a result, it's possible that the series could be shared between the rivals, and that's ok, according to Alexander.

It honours the rugby history between South Africa and New Zealand. In 1921, the Springboks toured New Zealand and shared the three-match series (one win, one draw, one loss) with the All Blacks. The men in black returned the favour in 1928, and again the four-match series was drawn after each team won two games in South Africa.

This has been reflected in the unique Greatest Rivalry trophy - which was unveiled on Wednesday - as it features two halves.

"When we started this discussion, we always talked about playing a four-game series, and we never spoke about a tiebreaker," Alexander told RugbyPass.

"That's why we designed the trophy in two parts. Later, discussions came, but we couldn't find each other on tiebreaker scenarios, so we said 'let history continue'.

"If there's no series winner, you take your part of the trophy, we take our part, and we keep our trophies at home. That's the beauty of the trophy.

"It's not a competition, it's a series. It's not a championship, it's a series. I think the principle of that series remains.

"I know everybody wants a winner, but I think it's fair. We tried to come together, and in all the things we've done thus far with New Zealand, we've tried to find consensus; if we don't find consensus, we move on. That's the beauty of this relationship; it's a relationship built over time."