Jean de Villiers, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger and Breyton Paulse were unanimous in their praise after the Boks completed a 3-1 series comeback against the All Blacks, winning the finale 43-28 in Baltimore. The aerial battle — a pre-series concern for several pundits — emerged as a decisive theme, with Arendse drawing particular praise for dominating contests despite his lack of height. Matfield credited Erasmus for holding his nerve after the opening Test defeat, while Paulse singled out Malcolm Marx as the series' standout performer. The Baltimore win lifts the Boks to a 7-1 record for the year, with Perth against the Wallabies next up on September 29, where Erasmus has signalled rotation including returns for Pollard and Mostert.
AnalysisSpringboksSuperSport Rugby
Former Boks hail series comeback as Arendse and Marx steal the show
Former Bok captains and players united in praise after the 3-1 series comeback over New Zealand, with the aerial battle and performances from Arendse and Marx the defining storylines.
Related stories
Erasmus: winning stays non-negotiable, whatever the World Cup build-up demands
Erasmus has made his 2025 season intent explicit: rotation and World Cup-building happen inside a framework where winning remains the non-negotiable baseline. The piece breaks down what that means for squad management, the veterans' standing, and why the All Blacks series carries extra weight.
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.
The Barbarians hit-out is a key cog in Rassie's World Cup machine
Nel makes the case that the Barbarians fixture is less about the result and more about Erasmus stress-testing depth, blooding uncapped talent, and keeping the World Cup-winning core fresh — all with 2027 firmly in mind.