Four of South Africa's centurions have faced the All Blacks on their 100th cap — Montgomery, Smit, Jean de Villiers, and most recently Damian de Allende last week — and all four lost. Du Toit now has the chance to be the first to reach the milestone against New Zealand and win. The piece frames this 'century curse' narrative around Victor Matfield's pushback: he argues it's a media construct, recounting how he deliberately ceded the captaincy to Smit on his own milestone so the team's focus stayed on the result — a mindset that earned him a win against Italy. With Du Toit's 100th falling at DHL Stadium against the All Blacks, the stakes are layered — personal history, a genuine statistical pattern, and a Rugby Championship fixture that matters regardless of the milestone.
Du Toit's century clash: can he break the All Blacks curse?
Du Toit becomes only the 11th Springbok centurion on Saturday, but four predecessors lost to the All Blacks on their 100th cap. Matfield dismisses the 'curse' as a media narrative and draws on his own milestone experience to argue team-first focus is what breaks the pattern.
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.
Springboks lead World Rugby rankings by 3.61 points ahead of Nations Championship
South Africa top the World Rugby rankings on 93.94 points, 3.61 clear of New Zealand, as the Springboks head into the inaugural Nations Championship. World Rugby has also confirmed the removal of home weighting from the rankings system from 1 July 2026.
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.
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.