With the Bulls set to face the All Blacks at Loftus on August 15 ahead of the four-Test series, Johan Ackermann is giving New Zealand genuine respect under Dave Rennie — warning they'll be a meaningfully different side to recent vintages. But his bottom line is clear: Springbok experience, depth and set-piece dominance will still prove decisive across the series. For younger Bulls players, the fixture carries its own significance, with Ackermann framing it as a career-defining experience regardless of the result.
AnalysisSpringboksRugby365
Ackermann: Rennie's All Blacks are on the rise — but the Boks will still be too strong
Ackermann rates Rennie's All Blacks as a genuine step up from recent New Zealand teams but backs Springbok depth and set-piece to win out across the four-Test series — while flagging the tour match as a formative moment for his younger Bulls squad.
- Vodacom Bulls
- New Zealand
- Loftus Versfeld
- Springboks
Related stories
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Hansen's Right to Back Himself — But the Boks' Five-Match Streak Tells a Different Story
Jean de Villiers acknowledges Hansen's logic but argues last year's results and performances make it hard to see the All Blacks closing the gap on the Boks — and the panel get genuinely animated over what a 2-2 series tiebreaker would even look like.
Keo & Zels: Stubborn All Blacks policy make Boks smile
The boys love that New Zealand keep picking their second-best, long may it continue.
All Blacks' loosehead crisis hands Springboks a ready-made weapon in Greatest Rivalry Series
Jeff Wilson has publicly identified loosehead prop as the All Blacks' most dangerous weakness ahead of four consecutive Tests against the Springboks — with Williams likely out, Tu'ungafasi's future uncertain, and the remaining options short on caps and experience. Set against the depth Erasmus has built across the prop positions, this piece maps out why scrum time could be where the Greatest Rivalry Series is decided.
Stephen Donald: Robertson copied the Boks — Rennie must go back to All Blacks DNA
Stephen Donald backs Hansen's anti-copycat argument, saying Robertson erred by chasing the Springbok blueprint rather than New Zealand's tempo-based strengths — and expects Rennie to correct that course ahead of a blockbuster four-Test series in South Africa.