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2,327 items · Springboks
Lions offer the All Blacks their stiffest midweek test — and Mo'unga his comeback moment
Rich argues the Lions are meaningfully better-placed than any other franchise on this tour — fuller squad, deeper pre-season, Bok training partners — making Tuesday's game a genuine contest rather than another exhibition. The structural stakes are real too: SARU is already considering replacing clubs with invitation teams for future midweek RGR fixtures. Mo'unga's comeback adds the Kiwi subplot.
Erasmus explains Pollard selection as injuries force hand in Cape Town
Rassie Erasmus has revealed that Handré Pollard's experience and familiarity with Cape Town conditions tipped the balance in the Springbok No 10 selection for Saturday's second Test against Australia. The head coach admitted his matchday 23 is not the side he envisaged fielding, with injuries to Cheslin Kolbe and Grant Williams forcing changes alongside a response to the Ellis Park defeat.
Erasmus admits forced hand in Cape Town changes as Pollard gets nod over Libbok
Erasmus admits the Cape Town squad is not what he planned, with three injury-forced changes among six, Pollard starting at 10 ahead of Libbok due to wet conditions and Kolbe's absence, and the coach accepting personal responsibility for tactical errors at Ellis Park.
Erasmus recalls Kolisi and Pollard as Boks reshuffle after Ellis Park defeat
Rassie Erasmus has made eight changes to the Springbok match-day 23 for Saturday's second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town, with Siya Kolisi and Handré Pollard among the returning World Cup winners. The overhaul follows the 16-33 loss at Ellis Park and sees Pieter-Steph du Toit set to earn his 100th cap at his home stadium. The selections suggest the head coach has shelved rotation plans as the series reaches a critical juncture.
Erasmus admits Bomb Squad experiment backfired in Ellis Park defeat
Rassie Erasmus has accepted responsibility for the Springboks' 33-16 defeat to New Zealand in the opening Test of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, conceding that his bench strategy misfired for the first time in years. The director of rugby acknowledged that Kurt-Lee Arendse's head injury forced a backline reshuffle that disrupted South Africa's attacking flow, with Andre Esterhuizen pressed into midfield duty rather than his intended impact role. Erasmus has overhauled the bench for the second Test, retaining only Gerhard Steenekamp and Esterhuizen from the original replacements.
Fourie always in Rassie's plans as emergency Springbok option
Deon Fourie, approaching 40, is one of two Stormers forwards on Rassie Erasmus's emergency Springbok call-up list.
All Blacks' Ellis Park win is Super Rugby's vindication — and the Wallabies face a balancing act
The All Blacks' Greatest Rivalry win is framed as vindication for Super Rugby Pacific's relevance, while the Wallabies column urges Kiss to prioritise combination-building over star recalls ahead of a demanding Rugby Championship campaign.
Erasmus caught off-guard: Ex-All Blacks flag rare Bok preparation lapse ahead of Wellington Test
Parsons flags that Erasmus's post-Eden Park admission — that the Boks weren't prepared for New Zealand's ball-contest tactics — is virtually unprecedented, and signals a rare tactical blind spot ahead of the Wellington decider.
Fourie never out of Springbok picture, Rassie confirms
Rassie Erasmus confirms Deon Fourie was always on his radar, with the veteran Stormers forward among two emergency call-up options for the Springboks.
Boks pay the price after Ellis Park collapse as Rennie's All Blacks ride high
Planet Rugby's wrap argues the Boks were architects of their own Ellis Park downfall, praises Rennie's attacking revival, and covers the squad changes ahead of Cape Town — plus a Faf de Klerk-to-Stormers loan rumour worth watching.
All Blacks to tour South Africa for first time since 1996 in 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series
The All Blacks will tour South Africa in 2026 for the first time since 1996, facing the Springboks in a series branded 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
Erasmus explains Pollard's selection over Libbok at No 10
Rassie Erasmus says Pollard's record and knowledge of Cape Town conditions earned him the Springbok No 10 start over Manie Libbok on Saturday.
Erasmus takes personal blame for Ellis Park collapse, targets Cape Town response
Rassie Erasmus has taken personal responsibility for the tactical errors — including the 5-2 bench backfire and decisions around the Arendse and Kolbe injuries — that he believes cost the Springboks the first Test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, and is targeting a series-levelling response in Cape Town.
Mallett puts Ellis Park loss squarely on Williams and Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Mallett rates the Bok halfbacks four out of ten after Ellis Park, arguing poor decision-making and miscommunication between nine and ten is the core reason South Africa's superior chance creation didn't translate into points — and he has views on who should fix it in Cape Town.
Mallett: Discipline, Bomb Squad failures and a 'dagger' moment cost the Boks at Ellis Park
Mallett identifies the early lineout blunder as the symbolic turning point, but his deeper concern is structural — the Bomb Squad underdelivered, discipline collapsed in the second half, and the Boks couldn't convert consistent forward dominance into points. A sharp breakdown of where the system failed.
Kolisi and Pollard return as Rassie revamps Boks for second All Blacks Test
Kolisi and Pollard are among the changes as Rassie reshapes the Springbok side for the second Test against the All Blacks on Saturday.
Rassie on what the Boks must fix after their first 2026 defeat
Rassie Erasmus breaks down the Boks' first 2026 defeat and outlines what must improve before the second Test, warning that the world champions carry the heavier burden going in.
Pollard's return: pragmatic necessity or a signal the Boks are rattled?
Alex Lowe and the hosts debate whether Pollard's recall is a pre-planned wet-weather pick or a pressure-driven retreat to the old guard, and examine how New Zealand's attacking efficiency exposed fundamental Springbok errors in the first Test.
Rassie owns the Ellis Park loss — and it's not who you think he's blaming
Erasmus breaks down the Ellis Park defeat with unusual candour — poor 22m conversion, wrong tactical calls at the scrum, and a botched injury substitution that disjointed the backline. He's absorbing the blame personally rather than pointing at the Bomb Squad.
Kolisi and Kolbe race against clock ahead of Cape Town Test as injury toll mounts
Siya Kolisi and Cheslin Kolbe are both racing to be fit for Saturday's Test in Cape Town, with Grant Williams, Ben-Jason Dixon and Canan Moodie already ruled out through injury.