After igniting a scrum controversy earlier in the Rugby Championship tour — including a formal complaint to World Rugby — Dave Rennie has quietly retreated. He's now acknowledged that World Rugby and match officials don't share the All Blacks' view of South Africa's scrummaging, and has signalled he'd rather drop the argument than relitigate it publicly. The shift comes after Rassie Erasmus fired back hard following the second test in Cape Town, and after Amashukeli refereed the third test considerably more strictly than Angus Gardner had in the second — awarding the Boks five scrum penalties and a penalty try without a yellow card for the All Blacks, which the piece notes is itself unusual under current laws. Rennie's revised line is tactical rather than legalistic: limit Bok scrum opportunities, be more accurate, and reduce set-piece exposure. Karl Dickson takes the whistle for the fourth test in Baltimore, with a full English officiating panel.
Rennie backs down from scrum war as World Rugby sides with the Boks
Rennie has effectively conceded the scrum argument after World Rugby declined to back the All Blacks' position, quietly shifting focus to limiting South Africa's set-piece opportunities ahead of the fourth test rather than continuing a public war of words with Erasmus.
- New Zealand
- Rugby Championship
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
Erasmus welcomes clarity on Tony Brown's post-2027 departure: 'We've made the mistake in the past'
Tony Brown will join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 after his Springbok contract expires at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Rassie Erasmus welcoming the early clarity as SA Rugby looks to avoid the contractual uncertainty that complicated preparations for France 2023.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.
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.