Sir John Kirwan has acknowledged the Springboks were the better team across the Greatest Rivalry series, but spent most of his post-match analysis fixated on the Hanekom incident in Baltimore. With the Boks trailing 29-21, McKenzie attacked the line and Hanekom made contact before Moorby received the ball — officials ruled it simultaneous, no penalty given. Arendse collected the loose ball, ran 70 metres, and what Kirwan calls a '14-point turnaround' effectively sealed the match. He's adamant it was an early tackle and a deliberate trip, and that a yellow card should have followed. The broader grievance is about the referee's style — Kirwan argues a northern hemisphere official disrupted the flow of a southern hemisphere contest. He does, to his credit, concede the Boks won three Tests in a row for a reason, pointing to New Zealand's own errors at critical moments as equally damning.
Kirwan concedes Boks deserved the series — but won't let the Hanekom call go
Kirwan concedes the Boks deserved their 3-1 series win but argues the Hanekom no-call — which he sees as an early tackle, a trip, and a yellow card — was a decisive officiating failure that cost the All Blacks any chance of a comeback in Baltimore.
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.