Warren Fortune's post-match ratings for the All Blacks in Baltimore paint a picture of a side that showed flashes but never matched the Springboks' intensity when the game was on the line. Only two players break the 8/10 barrier — Cam Roigard, who varied his game well and delivered the key pass for the opening try, and Ethan Blackadder, whose tackle count and work rate drew the question of why he hadn't featured earlier in the series. The backline tells a more damaging story: Mo'unga struggled to dictate, Rieko Ioane looked disjointed after coming on for the injured Lienert-Brown, and the Boks exploited the resulting gaps. Up front, the scrum became a liability once Thomas du Toit arrived — Xavier Numia's collapse directly led to Pieter-Steph du Toit's try — and neither second rower earned more than 6.5. Peter Lakai was comfortably the All Blacks' most damaging ball carrier, but one man making metres isn't enough against a Springbok defence of that calibre.
All Blacks Player Ratings: Not Enough When It Mattered
Fortune's Baltimore ratings reveal a side with isolated performers but systemic frailties — a scrumming pack that buckled under Bok pressure, a backline that lost its shape, and a series result of 1-from-4 that flatters nobody.
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.
Five Boks in Round One Team of the Week as Willemse Claims Player of the Weekend
South Africa dominate Planet Rugby's Round One Team of the Week with five selections, headlined by Willemse's Player of the Weekend on his 50th cap and strong showings from Marx, both Du Toits, Kriel and a debut-making De Villiers.
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.