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1,288 items · Springboks · Analysis
Kitshoff flags slow-start risk and scrum stakes for Boks at Ellis Park
Kitshoff backs the Boks but flags a slow-start risk from heavy rotation and limited combination time, while predicting an all-or-nothing scrum battle that could define the series opener at Ellis Park.
Erasmus flags All Black breakdown brutality as Boks brace for Ellis Park opener
Erasmus has publicly flagged the All Blacks' breakdown aggression and multi-phase attack as his biggest concerns ahead of Saturday's Test, while also taking a shot at World Rugby's new referee access rules.
The hunter becomes the hunted: why this Bok-All Black series feels different
Rich argues the Boks enter the RGR series in genuinely unfamiliar territory — as the hunted, not the hunter — and that a series defeat would feel like a burst bubble rather than a noble near-miss. He covers the no-tie-breaker ruling, the Champions Cup vs Super Rugby quality gap, and draws on the 1992 tour to frame South Africa's own past insularity against what he sees as a similar blind spot in New Zealand now.
Kieran Read flags Argentina's blueprint as a Bok-beater for the All Blacks
Read points to Argentina's Buenos Aires performance as a potential blueprint for cracking the Springboks' rush defence — the piece unpacks what that means for the All Blacks.
Kieran Read flags Argentina's blueprint as a Bok defensive cheat code for the All Blacks
Read identifies Argentina's Buenos Aires game plan as a potential roadmap for dismantling the Boks' rush defence — the piece breaks down the tactical specifics.
Wiese tops Planet Rugby's number eight rankings, with Hanekom also making the cut
Wiese tops Planet Rugby's global eight rankings on the strength of his gainline dominance, with Hanekom at nine after a breakthrough Rugby Championship. The full piece ranks all 10 with detailed statistical and analytical breakdowns.
Rassie flags All Black breakdown brutality as primary Test concern
Erasmus singles out All Black breakdown brutality and their kick-from-phases combo as the Boks' biggest concern heading into Saturday's Ellis Park opener, while flagging set-piece surprises Rennie held back during the Nations Championship.
From the Invincibles to Paris: Five matches that define rugby's greatest rivalry
Jan de Koning profiles five landmark Springbok–All Black clashes to frame the start of Saturday's Rugby Championship series at Ellis Park — tracing the rivalry's historical arc and noting how decisively it has swung toward South Africa since 2018.
Teichmann tips 3-1 Bok series win — and he knows what's at stake
Teichmann, who captained the Boks in the famous 1996 series loss, picks South Africa to win the upcoming four-Test Greatest Rugby Rivalry series 3-1, citing Erasmus's squad depth as the decisive edge over the side that handed him one of his biggest career disappointments.
The hunter becomes the hunted: why this Bok-AB series feels different
Gavin Rich argues the Boks enter the RGR series as the hunted rather than the hunters — and that losing to New Zealand now carries far heavier psychological weight than it once did, with Super Rugby insularity potentially working against the Kiwis the way isolation once hurt South Africa.
Kirwan's conspiracy: Did Erasmus instruct franchises to play nothing like the Boks?
Kirwan claims Erasmus quietly instructed franchises to abandon Springbok-style play, leaving the All Blacks underprepared for the Test series. Matfield disagrees on both the conspiracy and the crowd disappointment.
Kool-Aid and Mafia Dons: NZ pundit fires back at Rassie's pre-Test mind games
NZ pundit Scotty Stevenson argues Rassie's pre-Test referee pressure campaign — including deploying Peyper at the presser — has unfairly put Matthew Carley at the centre of the week's narrative and amounts to fanbase weaponisation, whatever its tactical brilliance.
Marx vs Taylor: A decade of dominance meets its ultimate test at Ellis Park
A breakdown of the Marx-Taylor hooker rivalry ahead of Ellis Park, contrasting their styles and assessing what their duel could mean for how the Test unfolds — particularly at scrum time and the breakdown.
Fitzpatrick: No margin for error if All Blacks want to win in South Africa
Fitzpatrick warns the current All Blacks must be near-flawless to match his 1996 side's series win in South Africa — the full piece unpacks his specific thinking.
Fitzpatrick: All Blacks can't afford a single mistake against the Boks
Fitzpatrick rates this Bok squad as the complete package and warns that New Zealand must get everything right — discipline, scrum, execution — to have any chance in a series that carries serious World Cup implications for Rennie's team.
Five things the All Blacks must get right at Ellis Park
A detailed tactical breakdown of what New Zealand must do differently at Ellis Park — covering the bench scrum problem, the aerial contest, breakdown discipline, defensive entry denial, and the slow-start pattern that won't survive Springbok intensity.
Mallett wants referees to keep All Blacks honest at the maul
Mallett is calling on referees to clamp down on All Blacks maul-killing tactics ahead of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, warning they're adept at working the dark arts in that phase.
Donald backs Feinberg-Mngomezulu to start as Bok 10, tips McKenzie to play through ankle scare
Donald tips Feinberg-Mngomezulu to start at 10 with Pollard off the bench, and expects McKenzie to play through his ankle injury — but Clarke's absence makes Rennie's back-three a genuine puzzle.
Umaga's pre-test admission: the Boks are far more than a scrum machine
Tana Umaga has quietly walked back the All Blacks' 'scrum-only' narrative, warning his players the Boks can hurt them wide, in behind, and in ways Erasmus and Brown haven't shown yet — a significant admission ahead of Saturday's Ellis Park test.
Fifty years of hurt: The Boks' series drought against the All Blacks in context
The Boks haven't won an official series against the All Blacks since 1976 — Rich traces the full 50-year drought through the flour-bomb chaos of 1981, the 1996 Fitzpatrick landmark, and the unofficial wins that don't count, framing the four-test Greatest Rivalry Series as the first real opportunity to break it.