The Springboks are determined to give American rugby fans a taste of the intensity and quality of Test rugby when they face the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series finale in Baltimore on Saturday.

With the 2031 Rugby World Cup set to be hosted in the United States, Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese believes Saturday’s blockbuster at M&T Bank Stadium presents a valuable opportunity to showcase the sport to a new audience.

The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry decider comes with plenty at stake for both teams, with the Springboks holding a 2-1 advantage in the series.

A victory or draw would see South Africa lift the trophy, while an All Blacks victory would result in the honours being shared.

For Wiese, however, the occasion is about more than simply winning a trophy.

“We’ve only been here since Sunday afternoon, so we haven’t spent a lot of time outside the hotel, but it’s obviously an amazing experience,” Wiese said.

“It’s my first time here. Some people have recognised a few guys, but me not as much. But hopefully we can give the people here a good showcase this weekend and give them a taste of what rugby is about.”

The Springboks arrive in Baltimore with considerable experience behind them, with many members of the squad having already tasted Rugby World Cup and British & Irish Lions success.

Wiese believes adding the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry trophy to that collection would make Saturday’s occasion particularly special.

“For this group, it would be something amazing to achieve – we’re taking this series just as seriously as we did the others,” he said in a statement on the Boks’ website.

“The last time they toured in South Africa was in 1996, and the All Blacks won that one, so for this group to achieve a win would be something special.”

The Boks will also have to contend with an All Blacks side missing captain Ardie Savea, who is sidelined through injury.

Savea’s absence could rob New Zealand of one of its most influential players, but Wiese insists South Africa will not underestimate the replacements.

“Ardie is obviously a massive player in their team and he was their captain at the start of the series, but I don’t think his absence changes our preparation,” he said.

“Their other loose forwards have a lot of experience and have played in big games as well, so we will show our opponents as much respect as possible. In big games all those guys step up.”

Saturday will also be another milestone for Wiese, who is set to make his 49th Test appearance.

The powerful No 8 recently joined Pieter-Steph du Toit and captain Siya Kolisi in setting a new record for the most Test starts together in a loose trio.

Wiese admitted he only realised the significance of the achievement after the match.

“It’s a massive privilege to play with guys like them, and I never take it for granted,” he said.

“I actually didn’t know about the record until we saw it after the game, but yes, it’s special. We’re great friends, and that makes it so much more amazing to have done something like that together, so I’m really privileged.”

While the Boks’ attacking firepower will attract plenty of attention, assistant coach Deon Davids believes the battle at the set piece could prove decisive.

South Africa have placed considerable emphasis on their scrums, lineouts and mauls throughout the series, and Davids says the hard work is beginning to produce results.

“We were under no illusions that it was going to be very important to have a good set piece,” Davids said.

“The hard work we’ve been putting into the scrums, the lineouts, and the mauls is starting to show now, and we’re glad things have come together to provide a solid platform for our attack and defence.”

But Davids knows there can be no complacency against the All Blacks.

“That said, there’s always room for improvement, and we continuously try to evaluate our systems, individual effort, and our performance as a pack of forwards, so we’ll keep striving to improve and find better cohesion.”

The Boks held their first field training session in Baltimore on Tuesday after using Monday for recovery and a series of team meetings following last Saturday’s match and the long journey to the United States.

They will continue their on-field preparations on Wednesday as coach Rassie Erasmus and his team fine-tune their plans for the final showdown.

The stakes are clear: the Boks are one result away from claiming another piece of silverware, while the All Blacks are fighting to prevent their great rivals from celebrating on American soil.

And Wiese wants the occasion to leave a lasting impression.

“The sport is obviously not as big here as it is in New Zealand or South Africa, but for the fans who are there this weekend, they’re going to see some great rugby from both teams who just want to go out there and give it their best.”

The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry finale kicks off at 17:00 local time (23:00 South African time) on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.