Sir John Kirwan is reading Rennie's selection of heavyweight tightheads Saula Ma'u and Pasilio Tosi as a deliberate shift toward size — and he thinks it's overdue. His argument is straightforward: when the All Blacks face the Springboks, the front-row power differential has cost them, and finding props built closer to the South African mould is a necessary adaptation. Kirwan is candid that Ma'u and Tosi aren't necessarily the best scrummagers in New Zealand rugby right now — he rates Newell, Bower and De Groot ahead of them technically — but insists raw size has to become a selection factor when the matchup demands it. The November Nations Championship window gives Rennie a live audition, with at least one of the pair expected in each matchday 23.
Kirwan wants All Blacks to match Bok muscle up front
Kirwan backs Rennie's selection of two 22-stone tightheads as a strategic response to the Springboks' forward dominance — arguing the All Blacks need to start picking for size, even if technique currently favours others in the depth chart.
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.