Deon Fourie's recall for the Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks was earned the hard way — with a near-40-year-old's masterclass against the same opposition for the Stormers last Friday. The piece highlights a performance that had everything: try-saving tackles, jackalling at the breakdown, and the kind of fearless physicality that made Fourie a Bok regular in the first place. John Dobson singled out a three-tackle burst in 15 seconds as the defining moment. He's unlikely to feature in the first Test, but Erasmus has clearly decided that Fourie's lived knowledge of the All Blacks is too valuable to leave out — and on this evidence, it's hard to argue.
Fourie's Stormers masterclass earns him a Bok recall
Fourie's barnstorming Stormers display against the All Blacks — featuring try-saving tackles, relentless jackalling and player-of-the-match honours — made his Greatest Rivalry recall a formality, even if he's not expected to start the first Test.
- New Zealand
- DHL Stormers
- John Dobson
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
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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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.