Steve Hansen has been candid in his post-series assessment — the Springboks are the better team, but the All Blacks' 3-1 series loss flatters neither side. His core point is that the margins were fine throughout, and the Boks benefited from momentum swings rather than dominant superiority. On the Baltimore controversy, he doesn't relitigate the Hanekom call but flags something more damning for Rennie's group: that the All Blacks found themselves relying on a referee decision rather than their own execution to prevent Arendse's try.
The more forward-looking part of Hansen's analysis centres on Jesse Kriel as the structural problem New Zealand need to solve before the World Cup. His read is that the All Blacks are currently one-dimensional in how they attack — working around Kriel's outside shoulder — and that until they can credibly threaten on his inside too, South Africa's defensive system won't be genuinely tested. Hansen sees that as fixable, but the piece is worth reading in full for how specifically he breaks down the tactical adjustment required and what it means for the RWC quarter-final collision that's now taking shape.