Steve Hansen has identified the moment that handed the Boks the psychological edge in Cape Town: Jordie Barrett's restart going into touch, followed by the All Blacks' decision to compete at the lineout. Hansen argues that competing gave the Boks exactly the platform they wanted — a contested lineout that fed directly into their maul game and Kriel's early try. His prescription for Johannesburg is blunt: stay on the ground in the opening lineouts and 'belt the sh-t out of them' as they arrive at the breakdown, denying the maul before it can form. Ewen McKenzie adds another layer, flagging the coin toss as potentially decisive — if the Boks kick deep again, New Zealand must return the ball into the field of play rather than concede another lineout-maul-try sequence that lets the home side dictate the tempo from the first whistle.
Hansen: Don't compete — stay low and hit them hard
Hansen pinpoints the Cape Town restart and lineout competition as the decisions that gifted the Boks their early platform, and argues the All Blacks must stay low and physically dominate at the breakdown in Johannesburg rather than give the maul another inch.
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.