Shaun O'Neill's fan-perspective column on the Cape Town Test is less match report than a meditation on what it feels like to live inside this rivalry. Written from New Zealand at 3am, it captures the pre-match dread of SFM stepping in for Pollard, Kolisi's fitness gamble, and the slow realisation that four All Blacks tries still weren't enough — because Cheslin Kolbe's boot (18 points, against the All Blacks' six off the tee) and a Springbok pack that simply refused to be moved made the difference. The analytical thread running through the atmosphere is sharp: both Tests finished 33 points to the winner, exactly a week apart, in opposite directions — and a rivalry spanning 112 Tests has never produced a conclusive winner. O'Neill's closing point about the split magnetic trophy is the piece's best line: whoever designed a prize that physically comes apart understood the nature of what they were dealing with. Two Tests left, one-all, and FNB Stadium next.
The pacing gene, standing crisps, and what the split trophy gets right
A fan-perspective column on the Cape Town Test that doubles as a quiet argument for why this rivalry is genuinely irreducible — Kolbe's kicking, the immovable Bok pack, and 112 Tests that still haven't settled anything.
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.
Kolisi treats Barbarians clash as a full Test match ahead of Gqeberha opener
Siya Kolisi insists the Springboks are treating Saturday's Barbarians clash in Gqeberha as a full Test match, with internal competition, positional battles and the season opener's importance all cited as the camp's driving forces.
Erasmus: winning stays non-negotiable, whatever the World Cup build-up demands
Erasmus has made his 2025 season intent explicit: rotation and World Cup-building happen inside a framework where winning remains the non-negotiable baseline. The piece breaks down what that means for squad management, the veterans' standing, and why the All Blacks series carries extra weight.
Erasmus draws the line: World Cup planning won't come at the cost of winning
Erasmus is unambiguous: squad-building and World Cup prep don't override the drive to win. The piece breaks down how he's balancing depth rotation with a clear selection hierarchy, and what this season's fixture list — England, then four All Blacks Tests — demands of a squad that's broadened over two years and is now being refined.
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.