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Wallabies call up uncapped McLaughlin-Phillips for Springbok test as Petaia returns
Australia have named uncapped Western Force flyhalf Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in their squad for the 27 September Rugby Championship test against South Africa in Perth, with Jordan Petaia also returning to the fold for the first time since 2023.
Boks 3-1 over the All Blacks — but the 2010 warning still applies
A 3-1 series win that genuinely reflects Bok superiority — but this wrap draws a sharp parallel with 2010 to argue Erasmus cannot afford to let the template calcify, and flags squad depth and continued tactical evolution as the critical tasks before Australia.
Petaia returns as Kiss names McLaughlin-Phillips for Springbok Test
Jordan Petaia has been recalled to the Wallabies squad for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, joining 22-year-old flyhalf Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in Australia's 34-man group for the Perth clash with South Africa. The utility back, who has spent the past year in France and Japan, returns as Les Kiss assesses his credentials ahead of the 2027 home World Cup. McLaughlin-Phillips earns his first official squad call-up after Carter Gordon's fractured fibula in Mendoza.
Boks lead the All Blacks by more than the scorelines suggest — but 2010 is a warning
South Africa's 3-1 series win over New Zealand was more commanding than the scorelines indicate, but the piece warns that the 2010 blueprint — where the All Blacks absorbed a Bok template and caught up fast — remains a live risk unless Erasmus keeps the tactical evolution moving.
McLaughlin-Phillips earns Wallabies call-up as Kiss shuts door on O'Connor and Foley
Les Kiss names uncapped 22-year-old Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in the Wallabies squad for the Perth Test against the Springboks, with O'Connor and Foley told to prove fitness through Super Rugby first.
Springboks cement world dominance with 3-1 series triumph over All Blacks
The Springboks secured an emphatic 3-1 series victory over New Zealand in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, with Siya Kolisi lifting the trophy after a commanding 43-28 win in Baltimore. The world champions have now won eight of their last ten encounters against the All Blacks since 2023, underlining their status as the game's pre-eminent force heading into a World Cup year. Rassie Erasmus's side demonstrated both physical dominance and tactical intelligence across four consecutive weeks of Test rugby.
NZ media verdict: Boks exposed All Blacks in every facet
New Zealand's rugby media is blunt after the 3-1 series defeat — the Boks won the power and pace arguments, and the All Blacks' discipline, physicality and set-piece were all found wanting. The roundup captures a press corps urging Rennie to stop making excuses and start delivering hard truths.
3-1 and still not at their ceiling — why the Boks' Rugby Championship dominance is only half the story
Nel argues the 3-1 series win flatters neither side's execution — the Boks' 22m conversion rate of 38% versus New Zealand's 53% is the telling number — but that the squad's resilience and cultural cohesion point to a team that still hasn't hit its peak a year out from the World Cup.
Barnes blames referee Dickson as Springboks seal 3-1 series win over All Blacks in Baltimore
Neil Barnes has criticised referee Karl Dickson after South Africa's 43-28 win in Baltimore sealed a 3-1 Greatest Rivalry series victory, claiming the Springboks received penalties 'for bugger all' while insisting the All Blacks are closing the gap on the world champions.
Rassie Erasmus at 76 minutes: 'It was still a seesaw' — but the series margin was real
Harry was present for Rennie's in-person concession to Rassie and reported a candid post-presser conversation in which Rassie privately acknowledged a genuine seesaw until the 71st minute — while Harry argued the cumulative series margin reflected a structural Bok superiority the All Blacks couldn't solve.
Barnes blames referee after Springboks clinch 3-1 series win over All Blacks in Baltimore
Neil Barnes has criticised referee Karl Dickson following the All Blacks' 43-28 loss to the Springboks in Baltimore, claiming South Africa "kept getting penalties for bugger all" as the Boks clinched the Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 in front of a record US crowd of 68,000.
Boks win the series — but their finishing stats reveal there's another gear still to find
Nel's verdict: Boks are world rugby's clear benchmark, but a 38% red-zone conversion rate across the series — against New Zealand's 53% — suggests the most frightening version of this team hasn't arrived yet.
Springbok World Cup warning stamped across Greatest Rivalry series
Meagher argues the 3-1 series win over the All Blacks wasn't just a result — it was a statement of World Cup intent, with Malcolm Marx's Soweto try the defining image of a series that showcased Bok forward dominance at its most brutal.
Alexander hails Springboks after inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry triumph
SARU President Mark Alexander has congratulated the Springboks on winning the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series in Baltimore, praising the city's reception and framing the Test as part of World Rugby's push towards RWC 2031.
Baltimore statement confirms the Boks are the world's most complete team
Cardinelli argues Baltimore confirmed the Boks' defining advantage isn't power or pace — it's versatility. With eight wins from 10 against the All Blacks and a system that can win multiple ways, he makes the case that this squad still has room to grow, while New Zealand must confront structural weaknesses that high-tempo attack alone won't fix.
Springboks wrap up Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 — and send a World Cup warning
Meagher reflects on the Greatest Rivalry series — won 3-1 by the Boks — as a World Cup statement, with Malcolm Marx's Soweto try the defining image of South Africa's dominance.
Mallett: All Blacks physically outclassed, margin was the only question
Mallett argues the Bok win was never in doubt — the All Blacks simply can't match South Africa physically, and the only real question was how big the margin would be.
From 21,000 to 68,000: Erasmus's Full-Circle Moment in America
Erasmus's Baltimore win closed a loop opened by an embarrassing 2018 loss to Wales in Washington — the piece contrasts where the programme was then with its current dominance, and unpacks his calculated approach to blending youth with experience as the World Cup cycle enters its final stretch.
Krappie on clinching the series: 'We forced our game onto them'
Van den Berg explains how the Boks overcame going 0-1 down by sticking to their DNA, identifying set-piece dominance and a crucial Roigard offside call as the series turning points — and offers a candid take on the All Blacks' genuine threat and the squad culture driving Bok depth.
Mallett: The only question was the margin
Mallett saw no doubt about a Bok win — only the margin was in question. He's blunt about the All Blacks' inability to live with South Africa physically.