Jesse Kriel's take on playing 11 months a year is essentially: it's the job, I've adapted, get on with it. Seven seasons of juggling Canon Eagles and Springbok commitments have normalised what would alarm most players, and with the Eagles missing the League One knockouts, he's treating a fortnight off as a genuine luxury. His personal equanimity, though, sits against a backdrop of genuine institutional friction — SA Rugby is pushing hard to shift the Rugby Championship to run concurrently with the Six Nations, with Oberholzer sounding cautiously optimistic that New Zealand's resistance may be softening. The NZRPA's Rob Nichol isn't giving much away, demanding a 'compelling case' before NZ would contemplate disrupting their calendar. Erasmus, meanwhile, wants the change done for player welfare and squad management reasons. The piece uses Kriel as a human anchor for a structural debate that directly shapes how Springbok squads are built and rotated.
Kriel unbothered by year-round rugby grind — but the calendar debate rages on
Kriel shrugs off the 11-months-a-year grind while SA Rugby battles New Zealand's resistance to a global calendar overhaul — the piece maps both the player reality and the political impasse.
- Jesse Kriel
- Springboks
- Rugby Championship
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
Erasmus welcomes clarity on Tony Brown's post-2027 departure: 'We've made the mistake in the past'
Tony Brown will join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 after his Springbok contract expires at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Rassie Erasmus welcoming the early clarity as SA Rugby looks to avoid the contractual uncertainty that complicated preparations for France 2023.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.
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.
Mulder's '95 Warning: Don't Sleep on the All Blacks
1995 World Cup winner Japie Mulder warns against writing off the All Blacks ahead of the four-Test series, drawing on South Africa's own underdog story to argue the gap in rankings doesn't guarantee a comfortable series win.