Dave Rennie's post-mortem on the Cape Town loss centres on three fixable problems: slowed ball at the breakdown, vulnerability to the Springbok kicking game, and failing to convert a handful of genuine try-scoring opportunities. He's clear-eyed that the All Blacks actually created enough to win — the seven-point margin flatters South Africa's control — but that against world champions, leaving two or three tries on the field is fatal. His tactical admission is telling: New Zealand kicked more deliberately in Test 2 to break up the Springbok wall and force broken-field situations, and he views that as the right call even if the execution was sometimes lateral rather than penetrating. The lineout (18 thrown, 15 won) needs sharper adjustment to South Africa's defensive schemes, and the tighthead scrum channel remains a technical concern despite overall improvement under Gardner's management.
On the Erasmus front-row reshuffle announced close to kick-off, Rennie is pointedly unbothered — his team took "minimal notice" of the Monday announcement precisely because late changes are expected, and he sees Kolbe's inclusion as the only meaningful difference. The series is level at one apiece heading to FNB Stadium, and Rennie's message is that the margin is thin enough for New Zealand to back themselves — if they're clinical.