Dave Rennie is walking a careful line ahead of the Baltimore decider: acknowledging the All Blacks were badly hurt at scrum time in Soweto — including the penalty try that levelled the scores just before half-time — while signalling that New Zealand's read of what's actually happening in those set-pieces doesn't align with World Rugby's or the officials'. He's been direct that conversations with World Rugby have happened, that there's partial but not full agreement, and that the current referee focus on the hooker's brake foot is, in his view, causing them to miss other infringements. His reluctance to push the scrum narrative too hard publicly is strategic — he doesn't want it to dominate the week — but the underlying grievance is clearly still live. The piece is worth reading for Rennie's specific brake-foot argument and what it reveals about the technical dispute New Zealand is trying to prosecute through official channels.
Rennie concedes All Blacks must improve at scrum — but believes referees are missing the bigger picture
Rennie admits the All Blacks must scrum better in Baltimore but argues referee fixation on the brake foot is causing them to miss other set-piece issues — a grievance New Zealand has raised directly with World Rugby, with only partial resolution.
Jake White: Henry's All Blacks return is a 'masterстroke' — and he's no ordinary selector
White calls Henry's return a masterstroke — not because of his selector credentials, but because of the psychological and cultural weight he brings to a rebuilding All Blacks camp. White also makes a pointed broader argument about the game's failure to learn from history, using his own 2007 World Cup experience as a case study.
Keo & Zels: Stubborn All Blacks policy make Boks smile
The boys love that New Zealand keep picking their second-best, long may it continue.
Barrett ruled out of South Africa tour with back injury requiring surgery
Scott Barrett faces back surgery and is ruled out for up to five months, missing the four-Test series against the Springboks in August and September as well as the July Nations Championship Tests — with his All Blacks captaincy already under question ahead of Dave Rennie's first squad announcement.
Junior Boks take World Cup confidence from NZ dogfight
Foote and Norton reflect on what a grinding draw against New Zealand reveals about where the Junior Boks are — and what still needs fixing — ahead of their World Cup title defence in Georgia.
Hooker targeting All Blacks opener after shoulder surgery, July Tests ruled out
Ethan Hooker is targeting the opening All Blacks Test in The Greatest Rivalry series after shoulder surgery, with the 23-year-old ruled out of all July Tests against England, Scotland and Wales.