Planet Rugby's winners and losers breakdown from the Bulls' 50-19 defeat at Loftus zeroes in on the All Blacks' growing momentum heading into the Test series. On the New Zealand side, Leroy Carter's hat-trick and 16-carry effort — backed by a strong showing in Cape Town the week prior — strengthens his wing case with Clarke sidelined; Anton Segner's two precision turnovers and physical second-half shift put him firmly in the Test 23 conversation; and Barrett, liberated from the 10 jersey, looked close to his best at fullback. The scrum, a soft spot against the Stormers, also showed marked improvement across both starting and bench combinations — relevant given what's coming next weekend. The piece notes Rennie is unbeaten as head coach and heads into the Test series with genuine selection headaches in the best possible sense. On the Springbok angle, Marcell Coetzee is singled out as the Bulls' standout by some distance — bruising, relentless, and good for over 60 metres — with the piece floating whether that performance serves as a timely nudge to Erasmus that the 35-year-old isn't finished at Test level. On the downside for the All Blacks, Ratima and Numia both came off with knocks, adding to an already stretched injury list.
Coetzee reminds Rassie, Barrett finds his groove, and All Blacks scrum makes a statement
Carter's hat-trick cements his Test case, Barrett looks reborn at fullback, and the All Blacks scrum finally fires — but the standout Springbok subplot is Coetzee turning back the clock and planting a thought in Rassie's mind.
- Vodacom Bulls
- Loftus Versfeld
- New Zealand
- DHL Stormers
- Marcell Coetzee
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
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.
Mulder's '95 Warning: Don't Sleep on the All Blacks
1995 World Cup winner Japie Mulder warns against writing off the All Blacks ahead of the four-Test series, drawing on South Africa's own underdog story to argue the gap in rankings doesn't guarantee a comfortable series win.
Erasmus welcomes clarity on Tony Brown's post-2027 departure: 'We've made the mistake in the past'
Tony Brown will join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 after his Springbok contract expires at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Rassie Erasmus welcoming the early clarity as SA Rugby looks to avoid the contractual uncertainty that complicated preparations for France 2023.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.