With Ardie Savea taking an early break from the tour, Codie Taylor is stepping into the captaincy for the All Blacks' opening fixtures against South Africa's URC sides. Beyond the leadership brief, Taylor has been candid about how much he's missed testing himself against SA opposition — pointing to a 19-19 Crusaders draw against the Stormers in 2019 as a reminder of the quality on offer. He's not shy about where he stands on the Super Rugby split either, calling it something that 'sucks' and leaving the door open for a future reunion. On his fitness, a calf tweak picked up against Ireland is reportedly minor and shouldn't threaten his Test availability. The piece is largely a quote-driven preview of the tour opener, but Taylor's frank take on SA franchise rugby and the Super Rugby absence adds some genuine texture ahead of what shapes up as a demanding six-week campaign.
Codie Taylor relishing SA franchise challenge — and wants Super Rugby reunion
Codie Taylor, standing in as All Blacks captain while Savea takes a rest, says facing SA's URC franchises is something he's genuinely missed — and doesn't hold back on his view that the Super Rugby split was a loss for the game.
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.
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.
Springbok Recall! Relive Phepsi Buthelezi's 2025/26 Season
#SharksRugby #PhepsiButhelezi #Springboks
Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury puts Rugby Nations Championship opener in doubt
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss at least the first three rounds of the Rugby Nations Championship after injuring his ankle in the Stormers' URC quarterfinal win over Cardiff, adding to a growing list of Springbok halfback concerns that already includes Cobus Reinach's knee injury.
Rennie's word for his All Blacks reset: 'Brutality'
Martin Devlin reports that Dave Rennie has told New Zealand media his All Blacks reset centres on 'brutality' over flair — and that Rennie privately selected Richie Mwanga for the tour opener despite NZR eligibility rules blocking him, a conflict Devlin says NZ rugby has yet to resolve.