Gary Teichmann was the Springbok captain when the All Blacks became 'the Incomparables' in 1996 — the first New Zealand side to win a Test series on South African soil. Thirty years on, at the trophy unveiling for the four-Test Greatest Rugby Rivalry series, he didn't hedge: South Africa wins 3-1. His reasoning centres on squad depth — Erasmus has, in Teichmann's words, 'a strong team and another team-and-a-half of players he's comfortable putting out' — and a coach he believes is too switched-on to let complacency creep in. Teichmann draws a pointed contrast with 1996, when the Boks were still navigating the post-Pienaar transition despite being reigning world champions. The series opens at Ellis Park — which Teichmann notes has historically favoured New Zealand against the Boks — adding a layer of context to what is already a historically charged fixture.
Teichmann tips 3-1 Bok series win — and he knows what's at stake
Teichmann, who captained the Boks in the famous 1996 series loss, picks South Africa to win the upcoming four-Test Greatest Rugby Rivalry series 3-1, citing Erasmus's squad depth as the decisive edge over the side that handed him one of his biggest career disappointments.
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
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.
Mulder's '95 Warning: Don't Sleep on the All Blacks
1995 World Cup winner Japie Mulder warns against writing off the All Blacks ahead of the four-Test series, drawing on South Africa's own underdog story to argue the gap in rankings doesn't guarantee a comfortable series win.
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.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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