Steve Hansen isn't buying the idea that the All Blacks need to replicate South Africa's model to close the gap. Speaking ahead of the Greatest Rivalry tour — three Tests in South Africa plus a fourth in Baltimore — Hansen acknowledged the Boks' dominance (five wins from their last six against New Zealand, 85.7% winning rate across 2024–25, back-to-back Rugby Championship titles) but pushed back on the narrative that other nations must mirror the Erasmus approach. His argument: what works for South African players and culture doesn't automatically translate elsewhere, and good coaching is about identifying what suits your own environment. He's more interested in watching the new All Blacks coaching group develop a system around New Zealand's own strengths — forwards who can do the set-piece work and still play, which he sees as a historically proven formula. On whether the Boks can be beaten at home, his answer was straightforward: everyone can be beaten, and the danger lies in comfort and poor preparation.
Hansen: Boks are beatable — but don't copy their blueprint
Hansen pushes back on the 'copy South Africa' narrative ahead of the Greatest Rivalry tour, arguing that New Zealand's path back runs through their own identity — not the Erasmus blueprint.
- New Zealand
- Springboks
- Rassie Erasmus
- Rugby Championship
Erasmus welcomes clarity on Tony Brown's post-2027 departure: 'We've made the mistake in the past'
Tony Brown will join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 after his Springbok contract expires at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Rassie Erasmus welcoming the early clarity as SA Rugby looks to avoid the contractual uncertainty that complicated preparations for France 2023.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.
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.