Planet Rugby's player ratings from the 43-28 series-clinching win in Baltimore hand the standout marks to Kurt-Lee Arendse (10) and Morne van den Berg (9). Arendse was rated exceptional — three linebreaks from the wing before shifting to fullback and scoring the try that put the game to bed. Van den Berg, who was touch-and-go to even make the series, earned Man of the Match on his first start with a try, sharp service and commanding decision-making throughout. Damian de Allende (8) and Malcolm Marx (8) also rated highly, with Marx unlucky to go off injured given his claim to Player of the Series. The scrums were a concern — both Nche and Louw rated 5 — but the Bomb Squad covered some of that ground, with Cameron Hanekom's turnover try effectively ending New Zealand's challenge. The full ratings piece is worth a read for the nuanced breakdown of each forward's contribution across the 80 minutes.
Player ratings: Arendse and Van den Berg headline historic RGR series win
Planet Rugby rates Arendse a perfect 10 and Van den Berg a 9 in their player-by-player breakdown of the series-clinching win over the All Blacks in Baltimore, with the scrumming unit the only notable weak point in an otherwise dominant Springbok performance.
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.