Gavin Rich pieces together Daan Human's press conference response to Dave Rennie's accusations that the Bok scrum is operating illegally. Human flatly denies the 'walking around' charge — pointing out that going sideways makes no sense when you're capable of going straight forward — and frames it as a personal affront to his integrity: 'I'm a farmer, I can't cheat.' He acknowledges being privately rattled by the criticism but insists the response is to become more precise, not to change approach. The piece also flags that the Cape Town experience under Angus Gardner has the Bok camp quietly optimistic about Nika Amashukeli taking charge in Soweto, given Georgia's own scrum-centric culture. A kicker: Human confirms the Boks have formally raised the All Blacks' scrum feed with World Rugby, noting with a wry grin that a credible hook is actually required by law. The broader subtext Rich develops is that New Zealand's push to neutralise the scrum is partly driven by domestic rugby league's growing pull on Kiwi schoolboys — making the battle over scrumming laws as much a commercial war as a technical one.
Daan Human hits back at 'walking around' claims ahead of Soweto decider
Daan Human rejects the 'walking around' accusation as a personal insult to his integrity, explains why the Gardner-refereed Cape Town test frustrated the Bok front row, and signals the Boks have filed a formal complaint with World Rugby over the All Blacks' scrum feed — all with Amashukeli and the Soweto decider now looming.
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.