With the RGR series opening at Ellis Park on Saturday, Erasmus has pinpointed the breakdown as the Boks' chief tactical worry — not just the physicality, but the way the All Blacks use sustained multi-phase pressure to set up well-timed grubber kicks that are proving just as threatening as their ball-in-hand attack. He's also wary of set-piece wrinkles the All Blacks held back during the Nations Championship. On Dave Rennie's side, Erasmus is respectful but direct: the All Blacks run a high-intensity, data-backed game plan with full control of their own ball, and neither team will dictate to the other. He also took a swipe at World Rugby's new referee protocol, which has effectively killed pre-match coach-referee meetings unless both teams consent — a process he describes as one coaches have reluctantly started to accept rather than resolve.
Rassie flags All Black breakdown brutality as primary Test concern
Erasmus singles out All Black breakdown brutality and their kick-from-phases combo as the Boks' biggest concern heading into Saturday's Ellis Park opener, while flagging set-piece surprises Rennie held back during the Nations Championship.
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Nations Championship
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.
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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