Murray Mexted's assessment of New Zealand's lock crisis cuts to the bone: after years of taking Retallick and Whitelock for granted, the All Blacks are still searching for a settled combination to replace them. Mexted draws a sharp contrast between Rennie's methodical, performance-first approach and Erasmus's broader squad-building mandate — framing Rennie's Darry-Vaa'i lock pairing for the Soweto Test as a calculated risk rather than a statement of intent. The core concern is structural: dropping Holland reduces New Zealand's lineout jumper count against a Springbok side with one of the game's best defensive lineouts, and Mexted's lineout maths is blunt — below 50% ball, the All Blacks probably lose. Whether Darry can translate his Lions game form into a Test against the world's best, at altitude in South Africa, is the unresolved question the piece hangs on.
Mexted: Whitelock and Retallick were taken for granted — and the All Blacks are still paying for it
Mexted argues the All Blacks undervalued Retallick and Whitelock for years and are still feeling the void, while breaking down Rennie's selection risk for the Soweto Test — particularly the lineout implications of dropping Holland that could prove decisive against the Boks.
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- Emirates Lions
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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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.