Sir John Kirwan has offered a measured post-mortem on Leroy Carter's costly defensive night in the All Blacks' 29-24 loss to the Springboks, drawing on his own playing experience to contextualise the errors while stopping well short of excusing them. Carter was directly at fault for two Bok tries — a missed tackle on De Allende that set up Arendse, and a rushed, mistimed hit on Kriel that the centre punished with a fend-and-score — defensive lapses that cut sharply against Carter's productive attacking contributions in the same match. Kirwan's technical read is that Carter rushed both challenges rather than holding his shape, giving Kriel in particular all the time and options he needed. The broader picture Kirwan paints is of an All Blacks side that didn't lose on one play but on an accumulation of small errors — two missed tackles, scrum instability, and a maul they couldn't stop — leaving them 2-1 down in the series heading into the Baltimore finale. Worth reading for the granular technical breakdown of how Kriel's fend works and why it remains one of the harder defensive problems in the game.
Kirwan sympathises with Carter but admits defensive lapses cost All Blacks in Bok defeat
Kirwan sympathises with Carter over two costly defensive errors against the Boks but offers a clear technical verdict: Carter rushed both tackles, giving Kriel in particular all the options. The broader point is that the series loss wasn't one moment — it was an accumulation of small failures the All Blacks must fix before 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.