Sam Cane has lifted the lid on how Rennie selected his Chiefs forward pack specifically to counter South African sides — prioritising chop tacklers over physical ball-carriers, on the basis that getting the Boks on the deck quickly was smarter than contesting them upright. Cane frames it simply: don't play into their hands by going high, win the shoulder battle low and make them repeat the process until fatigue sets in. The piece draws a direct line between that decade-old selection logic and what Rennie might do with the All Blacks this series — with Luke Jacobson's prominence under Rennie cited as a possible signal that the same thinking applies.
Cane also pushes back on the idea that the Springboks hold a natural altitude advantage on the highveld, arguing that most of the squad isn't based there and feels the thin air just as much as touring sides do. His read is that high-altitude Tests tend to open up in the final quarter as fatigue compounds — which cuts both ways. With four tour matches at altitude, including the Ellis Park and FNB Stadium Tests, the piece is worth reading for anyone trying to work out what tactical shape Rennie's All Blacks will take into this series.