After the Boks sealed the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 with a 43-28 win over the All Blacks in Baltimore — in front of a US record 68,000 crowd — Erasmus was in an emotional mood. His post-match remarks cut to what he sees as the team's core motivation: not peer respect or global approval, but making South Africans from every background happy. He was direct about the criticism the Boks attract for their approach and the stances they take, but framed it simply — other opinions are noted, South Africans come first. On the game itself, Erasmus was measured: he wouldn't call the Boks the better side, noting the match was still in the balance at the hour mark, and credited Kurt-Lee Arendse's try as the pivotal moment that broke New Zealand's resistance. Kolisi echoed the fan-first sentiment, singling out a lengthy stoppage for referee audio problems as an unexpected moment to absorb the atmosphere and appreciate the crowd.
Rassie dedicates Baltimore series win to South Africans 'on the farm, in the township, in the mall'
Erasmus dedicated the Baltimore series win to South Africans across all walks of life, was candid about the criticism the Boks attract globally, and credited Kurt-Lee Arendse as the turning point in a game he admits could have gone either way.
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
- Kurt-Lee Arendse
- Siya Kolisi
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.
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.
Kolisi treats Barbarians clash as a full Test match ahead of Gqeberha opener
Siya Kolisi insists the Springboks are treating Saturday's Barbarians clash in Gqeberha as a full Test match, with internal competition, positional battles and the season opener's importance all cited as the camp's driving forces.