Dave Rennie is pleased with his side's tour form — three wins from three, including a 50-19 dismantling of the Bulls at altitude — but he's drawing a sharp distinction between the provincial opposition and what awaits at Ellis Park. His message post-Loftus was blunt: the intensity the Boks bring is 'three, four, five-fold' what the All Blacks have faced on tour, and despite the clean scoreline, he was frustrated his team left points on the field. Codie Taylor echoed the mood — acknowledging genuine forward-pack progress across the tour while making clear the finished product is nowhere in sight. The piece frames this as a team that has used the tour games as calibration runs rather than confidence builders, with Rennie essentially treating the Bulls fixture as a final training session for the real thing.
Rennie warns All Blacks must lift several gears for Ellis Park Test
Rennie is happy with three tour wins but draws a sharp line between provincial opposition and Bok intensity — his post-Bulls message was that his side needs to lift 'three, four, five-fold' for Ellis Park.
- New Zealand
- Vodacom Bulls
- Springboks
- Loftus Versfeld
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.