Planet Rugby's post-series debrief on the 3-1 Springbok triumph identifies Malcolm Marx as the standout player across all four Tests — dominant at scrum, breakdown and maul — with Kolisi's return from injury framed as the series-turning moment that exposed just how irreplaceable he remains at 35. Damian de Allende edges out Ardie Savea for the other headline winner slot, credited not just for his try-scoring but for quietly neutering Jordie Barrett after Barrett bossed the opener. On the losers' side, the piece argues New Zealand's real structural problem isn't their attack — they actually outscored the Boks in tries — but their leadership depth. Without Savea, the ABs looked rudderless in a way the Boks, who can rotate captaincy authority through Du Toit, Etzebeth, Kriel and Marx, simply cannot relate to. SFM's series is filed as a disappointment by his own standards, though Erasmus's continued faith in him is noted. The Baltimore communication fiasco gets its own 'loser' entry, with Steve Hansen's demolition of World Rugby's lack of protocol used to frame a broader credibility concern. The piece also takes a nuanced position on the RGR concept itself — acknowledging the damage done to Argentina and the Wallabies through the Rugby Championship's absence, while conceding the series was a commercial and spectacle success that has reset expectations for what a bilateral tour can deliver.
RGR Winners and Losers: Marx and Kolisi cement legacies as All Blacks expose a leadership gap
Malcolm Marx and Kolisi are Planet Rugby's headline winners from the 3-1 series triumph, but the piece's sharpest insight is on New Zealand's leadership fragility — a vulnerability the Boks, with their depth of on-field authority, don't share, and one that could prove decisive at the World Cup.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the reintegration puzzle facing Erasmus in 2025
Erasmus identifies reintegrating Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hooker from injury as a trickier selection problem than routine rotation — with a 14-Test season, individual development roadmaps, and the 2027 timeline all pulling in different directions.
Erasmus: winning stays non-negotiable, whatever the World Cup build-up demands
Erasmus has made his 2025 season intent explicit: rotation and World Cup-building happen inside a framework where winning remains the non-negotiable baseline. The piece breaks down what that means for squad management, the veterans' standing, and why the All Blacks series carries extra weight.
Alexander's blunt warning: align the calendar or lose the game
Mark Alexander is warning that the Dublin World Rugby meetings must deliver calendar alignment — concurrent Rugby Championship and Six Nations windows, dedicated club and rest periods — or the sport risks losing players to rebel competitions. New Zealand's resistance to shifting Super Rugby Pacific is the key sticking point.
Marx, De Allende and Kriel each bag brace of tries in strong weekend for Saffas abroad
Malcolm Marx, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel each scored two tries during the latest round of club fixtures in Japan and Europe. The trio's performances were among the highlights for South African players based abroad over the weekend.
Brown's legacy is a Bok team he helped make harder to beat — including for himself
Gavin Rich argues Brown's exit was always baked in, and the real story is that he leaves behind a Bok team he's made genuinely harder to beat — even for himself. Rich also clears the injury fog around the Bok squad and makes a pointed case that the Bulls' URC final chances hinge entirely on whether they can replicate the Stormers' defensive aggression against Leinster.