Jan de Koning digs into the South African domestic landscape just before the All Blacks' landmark 1976 tour, and the details are genuinely fascinating. Rob Louw and Shaun Povey were both packing down for the Stellenbosch Third XV in the Varsity match against UCT — with Alan Solomons pulling the strings at scrumhalf for the UCT Thirds, and Alan Zondagh doing the same for Maties Seconds, the coaching pedigree buried in those third-team lineups alone is remarkable. The piece traces how several of these relative unknowns progressed to Springbok honours, with Louw emerging as the standout — a loose forward quick enough to play among the backs, whose 19-Test career is sketched here with real affection, including his celebrated try against the 1980 Lions and his role as an unlikely goodwill ambassador during the contentious 1981 New Zealand tour. De Koning also revisits the famous Western Province victory over the All Blacks during the tour itself — the 12-11 win that ended a New Zealand unbeaten run stretching back to 1973 — with Robbie Blair slotting a conversion from the touchline after missing his first eight attempts at goal. The connective thread is that the same players featuring in those Varsity match XVs were central to that provincial upset weeks later.
The 1976 All Blacks tour: future Springboks hiding in the thirds, and a famous WP comeback
A deep-dive into the South African club and provincial scene on the eve of the 1976 All Blacks tour, tracing future Springboks — including Rob Louw and Hempies du Toit — from university third-team rugby through to Test level, while revisiting the famous WP comeback win that ended New Zealand's three-year unbeaten streak.
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.