Stats have their merits. The final score of a game is a stat.
I think over all history, there is slightly more cultural significance for both New Zealand and South Africa than there is for SAF/AUS, or even NZL/AUS which has plenty.
Still I have to say that before I came to TRF, I thought so highly of South Africa in rugby. The strong teams, the passionate fans, the awesome stadiums. I really honestly did. Upon coming onto the internet for about 7 years, I've learned a few things.
(These are generalisms and don't apply to all South African or Australian fans):
Australians don't actually seem to go on and on and on after a loss.
South Africans will generally rub in their wins far more. Last year (and up until the Tri-Nations) many people were copping the, "We've got the World Cup, the Super 14 AND the Tri-Nations. New Zealand has NOTHING!!!!!"
If I heard that once I heard that a dozen times, yet here we are and New Zealand has won the Tri-Nations. All of a sudden, there needs to be an enquiry into everything! Richie McCaw, Yellow Cards, Paddy O'Brien, small off-the-ball incidents, where refs are from and Mike Cronn working with the IRB.
Many South Africans are gracious, loss accepting (when they happen, as SAF is still a very strong team!) and mature fans. It's just a shame that those same fans aren't expressing their embarrassment at the others.
Seriously.