Despite losing three straight after the opening-Test win in Johannesburg, Rennie's post-series debrief is broadly optimistic — framed around World Cup preparation rather than immediate results. He points to set-piece stability and try-scoring ability as genuine positives, while identifying the high ball under pressure and cynical, game-irrelevant penalties — typified by Tupou Vaa'i's late leg-grab in Baltimore that swung momentum back to the Boks — as the areas that must be cleaned up. The piece also flags Kyle Preston's emergence as a legitimate Test nine after featuring in all eight tour matches, Beauden Barrett's quiet but consistent value to the squad environment, and Rennie's candid acknowledgment that South Africa's clinical efficiency when they get their chances remains the benchmark his side hasn't yet reached.
Rennie takes the long view after 3-1 series loss to the Boks
Rennie's verdict on a 3-1 series defeat to the Boks is less about damage control and more about what the tour revealed — Preston's rise, Barrett's squad value, and the disciplinary lapses that keep costing the All Blacks against top-tier opposition.
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.