Wynona Louw's post-match hits and misses from the Baltimore finale unpacks just how complete this series win was. The headline performer is Malcolm Marx — who equalled Bryan Habana's all-time try-scoring record against the All Blacks while again dominating the breakdown and carrying game. Louw argues there's no longer any debate about his status as the world's best hooker. The other 'hit' is Rassie Erasmus, who reached his 100th Test in charge on the occasion of clinching a 3-1 series — a milestone Louw frames as inseparable from the broader Springbok dominance story, with World Cup 2027 already looming large. Kurt-Lee Arendse also gets credit for a devastating final-quarter try that effectively closed out the match. The miss is pointed: referee Karl Dickson's communication equipment failed mid-first-half, halting play for around ten minutes. Louw questions how a technical failure that severe was allowed to occur at this level, implying the scrutiny would have been far harsher had the host nation been less prominent.
Marx equals Habana, Erasmus hits 100 — and a ref mic nearly ruins the occasion
Marx equalled Habana's try-scoring record against the All Blacks, Erasmus reached 100 Tests, and Arendse delivered a match-sealing moment — but a communication equipment failure that halted play for ten minutes cast a shadow over the occasion in Louw's final Baltimore post-mortem.
- Malcolm Marx
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- Kurt-Lee Arendse
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.
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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