Will Jordan is one of the few All Blacks willing to revisit the 10-43 Wellington humiliation ahead of Saturday's Ellis Park Test, and his reading of it is instructive. His take isn't that the Boks dominated from the outset — rather that New Zealand felt competitive deep into the second half before conceding five unanswered tries in the final 20 minutes. The lessons he draws centre on converting momentum into points and maintaining composure under pressure, which says something about where the All Blacks believe the match was actually lost. On the pace-of-play narrative that's dominated the build-up, Jordan is notably measured — he acknowledges the Boks have shifted toward more tempo over the past 12–18 months and frames the discipline-in-public spat as a generalisation that got away from both camps. His focus is squarely on what the All Blacks can control: keeping the tempo up regardless of what the Boks bring.
Will Jordan on Wellington: 'We felt we were right in it'
Jordan revisits the Wellington collapse — not as a comprehensive Bok dominance but as a 20-minute capitulation the All Blacks believe they can correct — and takes a measured line on the pace-of-play controversy heading into Ellis Park.
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.