The All Blacks are approaching Friday's Cape Town tour opener against the Stormers with full Test-match intensity, according to loose forward Simon Parker. The tour — their first full-length visit to South Africa in 30 years — comprises four provincial games and four Tests against the Springboks, with the series finale in the US. Parker acknowledges that many in the touring squad have never faced South African provincial opposition, given the franchise exodus from Super Rugby in 2020, but says the squad has been briefed and is embracing the physical challenge. His read on what decides the series is blunt: less about tactics, more about which side wants it more. With the Stormers' pack already flagged as a serious early test, the All Blacks are clearly treating the warmup matches as form-and-momentum builders rather than tune-ups.
All Blacks treating Stormers opener like a Test match
Simon Parker signals the All Blacks are going full throttle from the Stormers opener — no easing in on a tour billed as the most significant All Black visit to South African soil in three decades.
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.