The Boks made it three straight over the All Blacks with a 43-28 win in Baltimore, and this Planet Rugby winners-and-losers breakdown identifies the standout storylines. Arendse is the headline act — seven carries, four line breaks, eight defenders beaten, 169 metres, and a solo try that sealed it. With Kolbe sidelined, he made an undeniable case as South Africa's premier winger, now averaging 0.77 tries per Test across 35 caps. Van den Berg also seized his starting opportunity emphatically: a first try against the All Blacks, turnover penalty won over Roigard at a critical moment, and even took over the kicking when Feinberg-Mngomezulu struggled. Deon Fourie's appearance at 39 made him the oldest-ever Springbok, and the piece raises a half-serious question about whether he could still be in contention for the 2027 World Cup.
On the All Blacks side, the piece is harshest on Vaa'i, whose needless penalty killed New Zealand's last realistic chance of a comeback, and on Mo'unga, who was largely anonymous until the game had already opened up in the second half. Codie Taylor gets a nuanced assessment — solid enough, but not world-class, with Aumua's form flagged as a genuine World Cup selection threat. The wildcard talking point is a near-15-minute officials' comms failure around the 20-minute mark — the piece stops short of full conspiracy territory but doesn't let the organisers off the hook for the lack of a backup system.