Stephen Donald has endorsed two eyebrow-raising All Blacks selections for Saturday's Ellis Park Test — Fabian Holland's rapid return from a serious shoulder injury, and Josh Moorby on the left wing. Donald's assessment of Moorby is the more interesting one: he argues that at the start of the Super Rugby Pacific season, Moorby would have been a near-impossible All Blacks bet. A journeyman career through Southland, Northland, Waikato and a stint at Montpellier hadn't exactly announced him as a Test-ready talent — but his return to the Hurricanes and their Super Rugby Pacific title run changed the calculus entirely. Donald's word for what Moorby now brings is 'X-factor' — and he's fairly blunt that you either have it or you don't. With Clarke out injured and Carter on the bench, the Boks will need to account for a player whose trajectory this year has been anything but predictable.
Stephen Donald backs Moorby's X-factor to shine against the Boks
Stephen Donald picks apart two surprise All Blacks selections for Ellis Park — Holland's comeback and, more intriguingly, Moorby's rise from journeyman to Test wing, which Donald puts down to an X-factor that simply can't be coached.
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.