Warren Fortune runs through individual ratings from the All Blacks' 50-19 win over the Bulls at Loftus, with the upcoming Springbok series clearly the lens through which he's judging performances. The standout numbers go to Leroy Carter and Rieko Ioane (both 9/10), with Ioane's ability to interchange between centre and wing flagged as a particular Test-series asset. Up front, loosehead Xavier Numia (8.5) caused Francois Klopper serious scrum trouble, while openside Anton Segner (9) impressed at the breakdown with key turnovers under pressure. The concern areas: Cortez Ratima's kicking accuracy at 9, Josh Moorby's defensive positioning that contributed to both Bulls tries, and a bench that largely failed to shift the dial. Dave Rennie has enough attacking firepower to feel confident, but the piece implies the defensive structure and half-back options still need work before the Tests.
All Blacks put 50 on the Bulls — but plenty still to fix before the Bok Tests
Fortune's player-by-player breakdown of the All Blacks' Loftus win highlights Carter, Ioane and Numia as form players heading into the Bok series, while flagging Ratima's kicking, Moorby's defence and a largely anonymous bench as areas Rennie needs to address.
- New Zealand
- Vodacom Bulls
- Loftus Versfeld
- Springboks
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.