Rugby365's Jan de Koning revisits the two Soccer City disasters that embedded the 'Soweto curse' in Bok folklore. In 2010, with 94,713 fans honouring Smit's 100th cap, the Boks led 22–17 with ten minutes left before McCaw and Dagg combined to rip the win away in the dying moments. In 2012, it was the same script, different details: a 16–12 half-time lead dissolved into a scoreless second half as the All Blacks ran 20 unanswered points to complete a perfect Rugby Championship with six wins from six. Both matches share the same pattern — Bok dominance evaporating under sustained All Black pressure, discipline collapsing, and the clock becoming the enemy. The piece frames this weekend's return to Soccer City as a genuine psychological reckoning, arguing that Erasmus's squad carries a mental hardness those earlier groups lacked — making this more than just another Rugby Championship fixture.
The Soweto curse: Two collapses, 160 minutes of pain — and now a chance at exorcism
De Koning dissects the two Soccer City collapses — 2010 and 2012 — that created the 'Soweto curse,' tracing the identical pattern of Bok leads squandered under All Black pressure, and argues this weekend's return offers the most credible shot at exorcism since those wounds were opened.
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Rugby Championship
- Rassie Erasmus
Erasmus welcomes clarity on Tony Brown's post-2027 departure: 'We've made the mistake in the past'
Tony Brown will join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 after his Springbok contract expires at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Rassie Erasmus welcoming the early clarity as SA Rugby looks to avoid the contractual uncertainty that complicated preparations for France 2023.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.
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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.