Writing in the wake of the 3-1 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series win, Jake White's argument is straightforward: Erasmus has nothing to fix. The burden is on the chasing pack. White's case rests on what the series revealed about the so-called 'ageing core' — du Toit, Etzebeth, Marx, de Allende, Kriel and a 40-year-old Deon Fourie all answered their critics emphatically across four bruising Tests. For White, three consecutive wins after going down 1-0 isn't just a series result; it's proof of concept for 2027. On selection, he's relaxed — Morne van den Berg's Player of the Match display is held up as the latest example of Erasmus's conveyor belt quietly producing when needed, and White sees the same logic applying to the Marx cover question at hooker. The deeper thread running through his analysis is Erasmus's ability to motivate a squad that has everything to lose and still find another gear — something White argues needs to be bottled and replicated all the way to Australia.
Jake White: The Boks don't need to change — the world needs to catch up
Jake White argues the Boks' 3-1 series win over the All Blacks proves Erasmus needs to change nothing — the ageing core silenced their critics, the depth pipeline is working, and it's the rest of the world's problem to close the gap before 2027.
- Jake White
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- Rugby Championship
- Pieter-Steph du Toit
- Eben Etzebeth
- Malcolm Marx
- Jesse Kriel
Five Boks in Round One Team of the Week as Willemse Claims Player of the Weekend
South Africa dominate Planet Rugby's Round One Team of the Week with five selections, headlined by Willemse's Player of the Weekend on his 50th cap and strong showings from Marx, both Du Toits, Kriel and a debut-making De Villiers.
Nché injury concern headlining Bok casualty list ahead of Scotland clash at Loftus
Rassie Erasmus is sweating over the fitness of Ox Nché, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and André Esterhuizen ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship match against Scotland at Loftus, after all four picked up injuries during or before the 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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Erasmus: winning stays non-negotiable, whatever the World Cup build-up demands
Erasmus has made his 2025 season intent explicit: rotation and World Cup-building happen inside a framework where winning remains the non-negotiable baseline. The piece breaks down what that means for squad management, the veterans' standing, and why the All Blacks series carries extra weight.
Brown's legacy is a Bok team he helped make harder to beat — including for himself
Gavin Rich argues Brown's exit was always baked in, and the real story is that he leaves behind a Bok team he's made genuinely harder to beat — even for himself. Rich also clears the injury fog around the Bok squad and makes a pointed case that the Bulls' URC final chances hinge entirely on whether they can replicate the Stormers' defensive aggression against Leinster.