Brenden Nel argues that Rennie's persistent public campaign against Bok scrum tactics and the brake foot law has nothing to do with genuine concern for the game's laws — and everything to do with manufacturing referee confusion ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Nel traces the pattern: Rennie influenced the officiating narrative during the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, got Gardner onside for one test, watched it backfire spectacularly, lost the series, and then continued the same lobbying on New Zealand radio even after World Rugby's 'Shape of the Game' conference rejected his position. The brake foot law, Nel points out, was a player welfare measure trialled since 2022 — not a South African conspiracy — and the All Blacks' inability to adapt to it is the real driver of Rennie's grievance.
Rennie's scrum crusade isn't about the laws — it's about the World Cup
Nel cuts through Rennie's latest scrum complaints to argue the real play is simple: create enough referee uncertainty around the scrum that, come a World Cup knockout, the Boks' set-piece edge gets neutralised by chaos rather than beaten on the field.
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.
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.
Keo & Zels: Stubborn All Blacks policy make Boks smile
The boys love that New Zealand keep picking their second-best, long may it continue.
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.