Israel Dagg has been speaking ahead of the Greatest Rivalry tour, and his reflections offer an interesting window into how the dominant All Black sides of that era prepared specifically for South Africa. The aerial kicking game meant Dagg and the back three carried a particular defensive burden in every Bok Test, and he names the individuals who made it hardest: Fourie du Preez as the smartest reader of a backfield he faced, Morné Steyn as the penalty threat that shaped their entire discipline mindset, and Bryan Habana as the intercept danger Steve Hansen drilled them on all week in training. He also recalls sustained battles with Zane Kirchner and Francois Hougaard at the back. The piece is light on tactical depth but works as a nostalgic first-person account of what it felt like to face those Springbok sides from the other side of the rivalry.
Dagg on the Springbok icons who made every Test a trial
Dagg names du Preez, Steyn, Habana, Kirchner and Hougaard as the Springboks who made every Test a specific mental and physical preparation job — and explains exactly why each one kept the All Blacks honest.
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.