This piece frames Saturday's Test as a fascinating personal subplot within the broader Springbok-All Black contest — two hookers who've been tracking each other since 2016 Super Rugby finally colliding again on the biggest stage. The analysis draws a clear contrast in playing styles: Taylor brings structural precision across the set-piece and attack, while Marx offers a more disruptive brand of threat — breakdown menace, carrying power, and a try-scoring record that is frankly absurd for a forward. The piece notes Marx is the only forward in South Africa's all-time top 10 Test try-scorers, with 26 in 87 appearances at the time of writing. Marx himself, typically measured, is refusing to frame it as a personal duel — his focus is squarely on the set-piece battle ahead, warning that last year's scrum dominance counts for nothing against an All Blacks side that will arrive at Ellis Park with specific plans to neutralise it. Whether Marx starts or comes off the bench, the article argues he remains one of the Boks' most dangerous weapons precisely when Test matches begin to break open — which against New Zealand, they inevitably do.
Marx vs Taylor: A decade of dominance meets its ultimate test at Ellis Park
A breakdown of the Marx-Taylor hooker rivalry ahead of Ellis Park, contrasting their styles and assessing what their duel could mean for how the Test unfolds — particularly at scrum time and the breakdown.
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.