Richie McCaw is in South Africa for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, and this piece draws on his reflections to frame what the current All Blacks will need to navigate across four Tests against the Springboks. McCaw's central insight is that talent alone doesn't decide these matches — the 2007 World Cup exit and the 2009 whitewash against South Africa both came down to teams that were good enough but couldn't execute under pressure. His turnaround in 2010, when New Zealand reversed a 0–3 series record against the Boks to win all three, required no dramatic overhaul — just the absorption of hard lessons. The piece also draws a pointed parallel between McCaw's team-first philosophy — preferring a consistent 8/10 over an unpredictable superstar — and the selection culture Rassie Erasmus has embedded in the current Springbok setup, suggesting the All Blacks will need that same collective resilience to compete in this series.
What McCaw's hardest lessons could mean for the All Blacks against the Boks
McCaw reflects on the 2007 World Cup exit and 2009 Bok whitewash as the defining pressure tests that shaped his leadership — and the piece uses those lessons to assess what Dave Rennie's All Blacks will need to handle across four Tests against South Africa.
- New Zealand
- Springboks
- Rugby World Cup
- Rassie Erasmus
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.
Brown confirms post-2027 All Blacks move but eyes World Cup glory with Boks first
Springbok attack coach Tony Brown will join Dave Rennie's All Blacks staff from 2028, but remains committed to helping South Africa win a third successive World Cup title before his departure.
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.