Jeff Wilson believes Dave Rennie's decision to trial Tupou Vaa'i at blindside flanker is a deliberate Springbok-specific strategy — building a bigger-bodied loose trio for the Test series in South Africa later this year. Wilson wants to see it developed further, including a return to the 6-2 bench split Foster once deployed against the Boks at Twickenham. The counter-argument comes from Justin Marshall, who thinks Vaa'i is too valuable at lock to move, and who has a broader concern about the back row: Savea hasn't taken a single carry off the back of a scrum in either Test under Rennie, which Marshall sees as a critical deficiency against Springbok defence. His preferred loose trio — Sititi at 8, Lakai and Savea at flank — sacrifices lineout size but gives the All Blacks the carrying threat Marshall wants. The piece essentially maps a genuine selection debate that Rennie will have to resolve before the tour, with the Boks' physicality as the central variable.
All Blacks trialling Vaa'i at blindside — and the Boks are the reason
Jeff Wilson reads Rennie's Vaa'i-at-flanker experiment as a Bok-specific tactic — more size, potentially a 6-2 bench split. Marshall pushes back, arguing Vaa'i belongs at lock and that the real problem is Savea's absence from the base of the scrum.
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.