The Lions head into Saturday's Jukskei derby on the back of wins over Leinster and Ospreys, but the significance of this fixture runs deeper than bragging rights. Scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys is candid about the stakes: a six-game stretch follows — three URC, a Champions Cup debut against La Rochelle, then Edinburgh and Glasgow — before the Lions return home in December. Losing to the Bulls before that tour would waste a strong start and leave them chasing form on the road. Redelinghuys also flags genuine uncertainty around how the Bulls will deploy their returning Springboks, noting that unlike the All Blacks Tests, Saturday's selection is an open question. The piece also highlights Boan Venter's rapid integration into the Lions pack, with Redelinghuys enthusiastic about what he adds in the scrum and confident about his development in the loose. The set-piece battle, he warns, will look nothing like what the Lions faced against the Welsh and Irish sides — this is SA pride on the line.
Lions know a Loftus win sets the tone for a brutal six-game block
With a daunting European tour looming, the Lions know a win at Loftus on Saturday is the foundation everything else gets built on. Redelinghuys unpacks the six-game block ahead and what Boan Venter is already bringing to the set piece.
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.
What Bordeaux's Champions Cup demolition of Leinster means for SA's URC finals hopes
Rich uses Bordeaux's physical demolition of Leinster as a lens on SA's URC finals prospects — arguing the Stormers cost themselves and their SA counterparts dearly by failing to secure second place, while flagging a scrumhalf depth problem that extends beyond the URC and straight into Erasmus's Bok planning.
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.
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.