Nick Evans offers a sharp outsider's read on the Springboks ahead of the Ellis Park series opener, and his central point cuts against the usual narrative: South Africa have quietly become a genuine threat in unstructured play, not just a set-piece and kicking machine. He credits that evolution as significant, while noting that France are currently setting the benchmark in that style. His concern for the All Blacks is logistical as much as tactical — the schedule across altitude changes and international travel he likens to old-school Super Rugby tours, the kind that test resilience as much as rugby quality. Evans believes the series hinges on who wins those loose, unstructured moments when organised defence and attack cancel each other out, and he sees New Zealand as capable of exploiting those windows — if they can handle everything else around them.
Nick Evans: Where the Boks have grown beyond the basics — and where the All Blacks can hurt them
Evans rates the Boks' evolution beyond set-piece and kicking as genuinely significant, identifies unstructured moments as the series decider, and flags the All Blacks' punishing travel schedule as a real factor.
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.
Springboks lead World Rugby rankings by 3.61 points ahead of Nations Championship
South Africa top the World Rugby rankings on 93.94 points, 3.61 clear of New Zealand, as the Springboks head into the inaugural Nations Championship. World Rugby has also confirmed the removal of home weighting from the rankings system from 1 July 2026.
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.