Dave Rennie is pushing back on the narrative that the All Blacks have a uniquely poor aerial game, arguing that no team in the world is reliably catching high balls cleanly — including the Springboks. His stat of note: only one in four high balls are caught clean by the receiving team, meaning the kicking side holds a structural advantage regardless of who's underneath it. Rennie's tactical response is to have his chasers track back and legally contest rather than simply field, a strategy he acknowledges is hardly original — multiple teams are running the same playbook. The piece also touches on the Bledisloe selection calculus, with Moorby preferred over Ioane specifically because the All Blacks expect the Wallabies to go short and contestable in the air this week. For Bok fans, the more interesting thread is Rennie's implicit acknowledgement that South Africa's aerial dominance during the Rugby Championship wasn't simply a New Zealand problem — and that the margins in that contest may have been tighter than they looked.
Rennie: High ball chaos is universal — and the Boks aren't immune
Rennie argues the high-ball vulnerability attributed to the All Blacks is actually a universal problem — one in four balls caught clean by the receiving team — and says even the Boks don't dominate in the air. His tactical counter is deliberate back-tracking to legally contest kicks, and his selection of Moorby over Ioane for the second Bledisloe is directly tied to anticipated aerial conditions.
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.
Bulls' Dublin humiliation a warning shot ahead of All Blacks tour
The Bulls' Dublin collapse gets a withering post-mortem, but the column pivots quickly to the bigger picture — the Hurricanes' record-breaking Super Rugby title run signals exactly the kind of tempo-driven threat Rennie's All Blacks will bring on their first South African tour in 30 years.
Hansen's Right to Back Himself — But the Boks' Five-Match Streak Tells a Different Story
Jean de Villiers acknowledges Hansen's logic but argues last year's results and performances make it hard to see the All Blacks closing the gap on the Boks — and the panel get genuinely animated over what a 2-2 series tiebreaker would even look like.
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.