Stephen Donald is firmly in Ruben Love's corner for the third Test in Soweto, arguing that Mo'unga's return to eligibility shouldn't force Rennie's hand. Despite the series being level after the Springboks' Cape Town win, Donald sees Love as a player who improves each game and handles the external noise well — the kind of confident character who earns the right to stay in the jersey. Donald also doesn't anticipate selection changes given the All Blacks emerged from Cape Town relatively unscathed injury-wise.
The more substantive thread in the piece is Donald's comparison of the Rennie and Robertson eras. His assessment is straightforward: the All Blacks are now playing to their strengths — fast, licence-heavy rugby built around Roigard, Love and Jordie Barrett exploiting quick breakdown ball — rather than the more structured, field-position-driven approach that defined Robertson's tenure. Donald acknowledges the Springboks disrupted that tempo effectively in the first half in Cape Town, but reads the second half fightback as evidence the All Blacks aren't far off. He's sticking with an All Blacks win prediction for Soweto.