The standout moment of this episode is Martin Devlin recounting the post-match press conference at Ellis Park, where Rassie Erasmus — unprompted — identified Devlin by face, referenced the podcast, and called him "a very interesting person." Devlin admits the moment reduced him to a schoolboy: "the only thing that came out of my mouth was what my parents said — thank you, sir." Beyond the anecdote, Devlin made a pointed tactical argument for the Cape Town test: he believes the All Blacks' real vulnerabilities — lineout execution, the high-ball contest, and a scrum that "was getting absolutely beasted" before the 56th-minute sliding-doors moment — are correctable, and that Dave Rennie flagging South Africa's alleged "walking around" at scrums publicly and unprompted signals a deliberate message to the referee. Devlin also argued that the 43-10 scoreline flattered the Springboks: with Ardie Savea's team playing 13 men at the end and several sliding-doors moments going against New Zealand, he insists the gap between the sides is razor-thin and that the All Blacks go into DHL Stadium as wounded, dangerous opponents rather than a side whose spirit has been broken.
Rassie Recognised Devlin at the Press Conference — and the All Blacks Are Still Warning About the Scrum
Devlin describes his viral Rassie press-conference moment and makes the case that the All Blacks are far closer to the Springboks than the scoreline suggested, with the scrum battle and Rennie's referee messaging set to define Cape Town.
Devlin describes his viral Rassie press-conference moment and makes the case that the All Blacks are far closer to the Springboks than the scoreline suggested, with the scrum battle and Rennie's referee messaging set to define Cape Town.
Full transcript is being prepared. Check back shortly.
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- DHL Stadium
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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