Kieran Read and Justin Marshall are backing Ethan Blackadder's recall to the All Blacks touring squad as a direct response to what South Africa bring up front. Read's reasoning is blunt: the Boks run straight at you, and Blackadder is the type who won't yield and has the physicality to knock them over. Neither Read nor Marshall sees him as a certain Test starter — Anton Segner currently holds the edge for that bench role — but both expect him to push hard through the warm-up matches against URC opposition. Blackadder's standout display in the 2024 Ellis Park Test, before injury derailed him again, is the key exhibit here.
The more pointed analysis, though, concerns how Rennie is deploying his forward weapons. Read argues the All Blacks are over-relying on Sam Darry as their primary forward carrier — a role the Boks will target with double-teams — while under-utilising Ardie Savea in the specific positions where he's most damaging: off the back of scrums and mauls, or in wider channels. For Bok fans, the piece is worth reading as a candid All Blacks self-assessment of exactly where they think their forward structure is vulnerable heading into the Rugby Championship tests.