Andrew Mehrtens has backed the Carlos Spencer comparisons swirling around Ruben Love, telling the Boks Unpacked podcast that Love is "pretty close" to Spencer in the modern context — high praise given Mehrtens and Spencer spent years fighting each other for the All Blacks No. 10 jersey. Mehrtens points to Love's consistency, composure, and kicking game as the qualities that separate him from a flash-in-the-pan talent, arguing you don't win a Super Rugby title without a 10 who can actually run a team. Jean de Villiers adds a Springbok perspective, flagging the Roigard–Love–Barrett Hurricanes axis as a genuine All Blacks strength — one Bok supporters will need to account for at Ellis Park. Mehrtens also notes that the All Blacks midfield is more contested than it looks, with Anton Lienert-Brown earning greater trust from Dave Rennie and Quinn Tupaea pushing hard, making Barrett's centre berth less settled than his reputation suggests.
Mehrtens puts Ruben Love in the Carlos Spencer bracket ahead of Ellis Park Test
Mehrtens endorses the Carlos Spencer comparisons for Ruben Love while De Villiers flags the Roigard–Love–Barrett axis as a key All Blacks weapon — useful intel ahead of the Ellis Park opener.
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.