Erasmus has fired the opening salvo in the psychological battle ahead of Saturday's Ellis Park Test, using a media briefing to dismantle the narrative that the Boks deliberately slow down play. Rather than simply deny it, he brought Jaco Peyper in to walk journalists through the actual law — specifically that the 30-second set-piece clock only starts once the referee marks the spot, not at the whistle, meaning everything before that mark is entirely within the rules. It's a calculated move: reframe the 'cynical slowing' accusation as a misreading of the laws, and put the onus back on New Zealand to prove otherwise. Erasmus also confirmed Thursday team naming — deliberately late, framed as competitive respect rather than arrogance — and flagged Kolisi and Nche as the only fitness doubts, with Mostert looking sharp. The piece is worth reading for the Peyper law breakdown alone, which gives useful context for what referees will and won't act on at the breakdown and set piece this weekend.
Rassie opens the mind games early — and brings Peyper to back him up
Erasmus used a media briefing to dismantle the 'Boks slow the game' narrative, bringing in Jaco Peyper to walk through the actual set-piece laws — framing the accusation as a misreading of the rulebook rather than a tactical concession. Kolisi and Nche are the only fitness concerns ahead of a deliberately delayed Thursday team announcement.
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- 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.