Planet Rugby's player ratings from the 33-26 win over the All Blacks in Cape Town highlight Cheslin Kolbe (8/10) as the standout, combining an 18-point kicking haul with a team-high 59 metres made on attack. Pieter-Steph du Toit (8/10) was immense on his 100th cap, finishing with a joint match-high 18 tackles, while Eben Etzebeth matched that tackle count in another commanding 80-minute shift. The pre-match narrative around Erasmus reshuffling his front row — Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie elevated to the run-on side, Steenekamp starting over Nche — is addressed directly, with the ratings concluding those calls were vindicated. Malcolm Marx was singled out as a 'star of the show' off the bench, and the replacement unit collectively earned an 8/10. The main concern sits in midfield: Jesse Kriel's missed tackles were directly linked to All Blacks tries, earning him a 5/10 despite his early score.
Kolbe and the bench carry the day as Bok selections vindicated
Kolbe starred with boot and ball, du Toit and Etzebeth dominated the collisions, and a strong bench sealed the win — but Kriel's defensive lapses were costly. Planet Rugby rates the Bok individuals from the Cape Town victory.
SENSATIONAL Springboks 💥 | South Africa vs. England | Nations Championship 2026 | Highlights
Watch all the highlights as South Africa took on England at Ellis Park on day one of Nations Championship.
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.
The Barbarians hit-out is a key cog in Rassie's World Cup machine
Nel makes the case that the Barbarians fixture is less about the result and more about Erasmus stress-testing depth, blooding uncapped talent, and keeping the World Cup-winning core fresh — all with 2027 firmly in mind.
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.