Robert Kitson's Breakdown column takes stock of the Nations Championship's opening block and finds genuine highlights alongside persistent frustrations. On the positive side: the Boks' Durban demolition of Wales, Feyi-Waboso's World Cup billing, and the All Blacks rediscovering their instinct to run. Erasmus and Rennie emerge as the early coaching winners, with New Zealand's 3-from-3 start making the upcoming Springbok-All Blacks series a genuinely loaded contest. But the column's core argument is that rugby keeps getting in its own way — refereeing inconsistency hasn't been resolved by the new competition's sheen, and the same structural frustrations that undermine the sport's credibility are still very much present. Worth reading for Kitson's broader take on whether the Nations Championship has actually moved the needle.
Nations Championship: promising start, same old problems
Kitson finds real highlights in the Nations Championship's opening rounds — the Bok scrum dominance, Erasmus's coaching edge, a revived All Blacks — but argues rugby's refereeing inconsistency continues to undercut the competition's promise.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.
Brown confirms post-2027 All Blacks move but eyes World Cup glory with Boks first
Springbok attack coach Tony Brown will join Dave Rennie's All Blacks staff from 2028, but remains committed to helping South Africa win a third successive World Cup title before his departure.
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.