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
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.
Springboks Through Irish Eyes: Gráinne Seoige on Loftus, Rassie, and Why SA Rugby Is Unlike Anything Else
Irish TV personality Gráinne Seoige tells the Lekker Rugby Pod that walking into Loftus for the 2024 Ireland test was the most intimidating rugby atmosphere she has ever experienced, and argues that Rassie Erasmus's cultural transformation of Springbok rugby is a bigger achievement than the World Cup wins.
Hansen: Wellington told us more about the All Blacks than the Springboks
Hansen argues the Wellington result revealed more about All Black confusion than Springbok dominance, while cautioning against scoreline fixation — and backing the new-look All Blacks to learn from the Greatest Rivalry tour.