Shane Howarth's take on the All Blacks' Nations Championship clean sweep cuts to the heart of what went wrong under Robertson and what Rennie has already fixed. Howarth's argument is simple: Robertson's tenure bred a team so afraid to lose that they stopped playing — retreating into their shells rather than backing their instincts. Rennie, backed by the return of Graham Henry as selector, has revived a philosophy Henry championed for years: mistakes made in pursuit of something are fine, mistakes made through timidity are not. Howarth scores the July campaign in the 90s and says his dread about the Springbok tour has turned to genuine optimism. The piece also covers his initially sceptical but now converted view on the Jacobson-Lakai-Savea loose trio, drawing a direct comparison to the Kaino-Read-McCaw complementary dynamic. Worth reading ahead of the Rugby Championship — this is the framing the All Blacks' camp will carry into South Africa.
Henry's ghost is back: ex-All Black says Rennie has restored what Robertson lost
Howarth argues Rennie has restored the Graham Henry 'freedom to try' philosophy that went missing under Robertson — and that shift alone has transformed the All Blacks from a team playing scared to one worth fearing ahead of the Springbok series.
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.
Erasmus: 'We don't see the Nations Championship as a competition'
Erasmus says the Boks won't adjust their approach to chase Nations Championship log points — each Test is treated as a standalone match, with squad rotation across the window as the priority over competition standings.
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.
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.