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2,956 items · Springboks
Marshall: All Blacks must accept Bok scrum dominance and work around it
Marshall argues the All Blacks need to stop debating the Bok scrum's legality and start neutralising it — by reducing scrum count, cutting errors, and keeping the game away from set-piece and the Bok 22, where South Africa are averaging 5.2 points per entry.
Burger: The All Blacks' scrum problem can't be coached around
Burger argues the All Blacks' scrum woes are the critical weakness the Boks exploited in Soweto — and that no amount of slick attack can compensate when the set-piece collapses. He also flags defensive shape concerns for the Boks and says anything less than a 3-1 series win in Baltimore won't sit well with this squad.
Owens: Penalty try right, Reinach penalty right — here's why both decisions stood
Owens breaks down why the penalty try stood while South Africa were still penalised — and why neither side saw yellow. The officiating logic is clearer than the match-day optics suggested.
Mallett's bulldozer vs Ferrari: Why Bok reliability beats All Black flair
Mallett argues the Bok bulldozer beats the All Black Ferrari not through superior finishing — he concedes New Zealand convert possession better — but by dragging Tests into territory where execution under pressure matters more than attacking fluency. Matfield adds that the conservative approach is a deliberate series-specific choice, not a permanent reset.
Kolisi and Stick warn of desperate All Blacks as Springboks eye series win
Siya Kolisi and Mzwandile Stick have emphasised the challenge awaiting the Springboks in Saturday's Rugby's Greatest Rivalry decider in Baltimore, with the All Blacks fielding a heavily changed side featuring Richie Mo'unga's first Test start since the 2023 World Cup final. The Springboks lead the series 2-1 and can claim the trophy outright with victory, but Kolisi warned that New Zealand's desperation to level the series will demand a physical, disciplined performance.
Mallett: All Blacks' style is actually doing the Boks a favour
Mallett argues New Zealand's movement-based game has inadvertently protected the Boks' older players from physical punishment — and that the Boks winning the penalty battle in the forwards, not the try count, is the real story of the series.
Stick warns of a sharper All Blacks attack with Mo'unga back
Stick is sounding the alarm on Mo'unga's impact as the Boks prepare for the series decider in Baltimore — worth a read for the tactical framing ahead of Saturday.
Kolisi and Stick eye series win as Rassie reaches 100-Test milestone in Baltimore decider
Kolisi and Stick stress physicality and series intent ahead of the RGR decider in Baltimore, where a win would also mark Rassie Erasmus' 100th Test in charge. Kolisi earns his 107th cap, with Mo'unga's return to flyhalf the key selection shift from the All Blacks.
Stick: Mo'unga's return was no surprise — Boks have done the homework
Stick says Mo'unga's selection was fully anticipated, and the Boks' focus for the Baltimore decider is enforcing their physicality rather than reacting to New Zealand's attacking width. He and Kolisi both frame the series as a unique pressure cooker — with the Boks clear they want the win, not a draw.
Stick warns: the All Blacks are only getting bolder
Stick's World Cup final analogy sets the stakes for Baltimore — the linked piece explores what the Boks are bracing for from an emboldened All Blacks side.
Nigel Owens: Why SFM's breakdown intervention was legal — and why the ref deserves credit
Nigel Owens breaks down why SFM's breakdown steal was legal despite cynical-infringement claims, explains the new refereeing doctrine on yellow cards after tries, and defends the referee's penalty-try decision on the earlier knock-on — all while arguing the officials deserve more credit for getting both calls right without TMO reliance.
Kolisi and Stick wary of revamped All Blacks as Boks chase series win in Baltimore
The Springboks go into Saturday's series decider in Baltimore with a 2-1 lead, with Kolisi and Stick flagging the threat of a revamped All Blacks side featuring a new front row and the return of Richie Mo'unga at fly-half.
Nigel Owens breaks down why SFM's breakdown steal was legal — and why the ref deserves credit
Nigel Owens clears up the SFM breakdown controversy — the steal was legal on timing grounds, no cynical intent, and the ref got both key calls right without TMO dependency.
Mallett: All Blacks' style is doing the Boks a favour — and exposing World Cup questions
Mallett argues the All Blacks' movement-based game has flattered the Boks' older players by avoiding the physical punishment France and England inflicted — raising questions about what the series result actually proves ahead of the World Cup.
Nigel Owens backs Amashukeli: Love's yellow card was correct
Nigel Owens settles the Ruben Love yellow card debate, explaining it was a separate breakdown — not the one broadcast replays showed — where Love was clearly offside at the goal line. Rennie concedes the penalty but questions the severity.
Hansen deflects Roigard furore with Kriel World Cup reminder
Hansen acknowledges Roigard's theatrics were poor form but counters that Jesse Kriel did the same to get Cane red-carded in the 2023 World Cup final — and that no team, including the Springboks, is clean on referee manipulation.
Mallett: Baltimore isn't just a dead rubber — it's a psychological stake in the ground before Australia 2027
Mallett argues the Baltimore decider carries psychological stakes beyond the series — a 2-2 draw gifts the All Blacks a try-scoring narrative they'll weaponise ahead of a likely World Cup quarter-final in Australia, while a 3-1 Bok win buries that conversation entirely.
All Blacks know what's coming — the question is whether plans survive contact
Tuipulotu lays out the All Blacks' strategic priorities for Baltimore — discipline, set-piece resilience, maul defence — but his own words reveal how wide the gap remains between having a plan and executing it against a Springbok side Erasmus hasn't felt the need to change.
Nigel Owens backs Amashukeli: Love's yellow card was correct
Nigel Owens has backed Amashukeli's yellow card decision against Ruben Love, explaining on Whistle Watch that the confusion stems from two separate breakdowns — Love was onside at the first but clearly offside at the next ruck on the goal line, where the law leaves no grey area. Rennie has confirmed the penalty was correct while questioning the severity.
Baltimore 2026 vs Paris 2023: How the two squads compare
A detailed squad comparison between the 2023 World Cup Final and Baltimore 2026 lineups reveals the Boks' continuity versus a heavily rebuilt All Blacks side — and a 463-cap experience gap that frames the series decider.