Ardie Savea isn't taking the wounded Springboks lightly ahead of Saturday's second Test at DHL Stadium. Speaking after the All Blacks' captain's run, he flagged that New Zealand got away with a slow start at Ellis Park and won't be able to afford the same again. His core message: the Boks losing tends to make them more dangerous, not less — and his side needs to be more accurate, more disciplined, and faster out of the blocks to back up last week's result. On the Bok changes, Savea is unbothered — he views Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Kolbe as world-class replacements in a squad where the jersey demands delivery regardless of who wears it. There's also a brief but interesting note on Dave Rennie's early influence on the All Blacks' culture under his watch.
Savea expects a sharper, hungrier Bok side in Cape Town
Savea warns the All Blacks can't repeat their slow Ellis Park start, flagging the Boks' well-known ability to hit back harder after a loss — and dismissing the late selection changes as irrelevant given the quality depth in the Springbok squad.
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.