Keohane identifies Aphelele Fassi as the standout name among four Springboks facing a make-or-break moment against Wales. With Erasmus set to trim his squad before the All Blacks series, the argument is that the Wales Tests aren't warm-up fixtures — they're trials. Fassi in particular needs to deliver something decisive enough to secure his place when the real selection pressure arrives.
Fassi and three others on notice ahead of All Blacks squad cuts
Keohane makes the case that Fassi and three other fringe Boks must use the Wales Tests to force Erasmus's hand before squad cuts ahead of the All Blacks series.
- Aphelele Fassi
- Springboks
- Wales
- Rassie Erasmus
- New Zealand
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.
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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