Planet Rugby's Monday hot-and-not wrap centres on two ageing veterans defying expectations and two high-profile names who underwhelmed. Deon Fourie's Springbok recall after just one game back from injury is the headline Bok story — at 39, with his last Test cap coming in the 2023 World Cup final, Erasmus has clearly seen enough to bring him into the Greatest Rivalry squad. On the flip side, Siya Kolisi's hamstring setback — to the same leg that's troubled him before — puts him in a race against time for the first All Blacks Test, despite Erasmus's cautious optimism. Cameron Hanekom is the standout from the 17-10 win in Buenos Aires, with 13 carries for 82 metres making a strong case for a starting berth, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Lood de Jager are flagged as the two who need to sharpen up fast. On the All Blacks side, Beauden Barrett's first appearance under Rennie was unconvincing — struggling under the high ball and error-prone — raising questions about his series prospects, while Billy Proctor's tour-ending shoulder fracture is another injury blow for Rennie's squad.
Fourie's recall headlines a big weekend — but Kolisi and Barrett give cause for concern
Fourie's surprise Bok recall and Kolisi's hamstring scare dominate the weekend wash-up, with Hanekom impressing in Buenos Aires and Barrett's All Blacks audition falling flat.
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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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.