The Gerard Meagher piece frames the Springbok-All Black 'Greatest Rivalry' series as a collision between rugby nostalgia and hard commercial reality. The limited-edition jersey and the 'tour like no other' marketing are front and centre — but so is a looming South African legal dispute over the series' commercial identity and unauthorised use of its branding. Meagher's angle is that the financial muscle-flexing by both unions defines this series as much as anything on the field, and the branding litigation before the first whistle is a sharp illustration of just how high the commercial stakes are.
Greatest Rivalry tour kicks off with a legal fight over its own branding
Meagher's piece frames the Springbok-All Black 'Greatest Rivalry' series through a commercial lens — big marketing, a limited-edition jersey, and a pre-tournament legal battle in South Africa over the series' own branding. Worth reading for the full breakdown of what's at stake off the field.
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.
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.
Keo & Zels: Stubborn All Blacks policy make Boks smile
The boys love that New Zealand keep picking their second-best, long may it continue.
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.