The All Blacks' 38-21 win over the Stormers has triggered a damning reaction from New Zealand and South African media alike, with the consensus being that the performance exposed weaknesses the Springboks will ruthlessly exploit. The Stormers were mid-pre-season and missing ten Springboks — yet held the tourists to 14-all with 12 minutes remaining before fatigue handed the All Blacks a flattering final margin. Gregor Paul's verdict was the sharpest: a scrum that was 'a mess', an inability to deal with the driving maul or contestable kick, and three yellow cards added up to a team scoring poorly across every key metric. His conclusion — that the All Blacks 'can forget about being even vaguely competitive' against the Boks if they replicate it — sets the tone for the piece. SuperSport's Gavin Rich and Aaron Goile echoed the concern, while IOL's John Goliath pointed specifically to the front row, flagging Vernon Matongo's dominance as a scrum warning that needs urgent fixing before Ellis Park.
NZ media verdict is clear: All Blacks aren't ready for the Boks
NZ and SA media are in rare agreement: the All Blacks' win over the Stormers papered over systemic cracks — scrum, maul defence, discipline — that the Springboks will have no trouble finding in the Test series.
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.