Down 0-1 in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series after their heaviest defeat of the Erasmus era, the Boks have shelved the youth rotation experiment and gone back to their most experienced core — a squad averaging around 32 years old that could become the oldest Bok starting XV ever fielded. The headline call is the recall of 39-year-old Deon Fourie, who forced his way back into contention with a standout Stormers performance against the All Blacks, with Erasmus framing it candidly as hitting an 'emergency button.' The piece notes that while the transition to a younger squad had been tracking well before Johannesburg, one loss has prompted a full pivot — Lood de Jager, Thomas du Toit, and Handré Pollard (preferred over Libbok for Cape Town's wet-weather conditions) all feature in a selection built around men who have pulled the Boks out of holes before. Erasmus was uncharacteristically blunt in his presser, acknowledging there's no guarantee this works and that a second loss would be a serious blow on home soil. The piece closes on the obvious tension: if the veterans deliver, the series stays alive; if they don't, the questions about where this squad is actually headed will be very loud indeed.
Emergency button pressed: Erasmus bets on experience to save the series
Erasmus has hit the 'emergency button' — recalling veterans including a 39-year-old Fourie and leaning on Pollard for wet Cape Town conditions — to avoid going 0-2 in the series, with the youth transition experiment temporarily parked.
Syndesmosis injury could keep Feinberg-Mngomezulu out for three months
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu faces a three-month absence after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the Stormers' URC quarter-final win over Cardiff, potentially ruling him out of the Nations Championship Tests and part of the All Blacks series.
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.
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.