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Hansen says Boks got refereeing luck — but concedes All Blacks have work to do
Hansen credits the Boks with earning refereeing favour across the series, while conceding the All Blacks have real work ahead of them — a revealing read on how New Zealand are processing their defeat.
Hansen says the Boks had the refs on their side — but it's more complicated than that
Hansen attributes some of the Boks' series success to favourable officiating, but his remarks also reveal what the All Blacks see as their own shortcomings — a useful window into their thinking after the series.
Bleskop: Rassie and management team shave heads after Baltimore victory
Rassie Erasmus, scrum coach Daan Human, the broader Springbok management team and captain Siya Kolisi all shaved their heads after the 43-28 win over the All Blacks in Baltimore, with Erasmus describing it as "the prize of a bet" — the details of which have not been revealed.
Marx equals Habana, Erasmus hits 100 — and a ref mic nearly ruins the occasion
Marx equalled Habana's try-scoring record against the All Blacks, Erasmus reached 100 Tests, and Arendse delivered a match-sealing moment — but a communication equipment failure that halted play for ten minutes cast a shadow over the occasion in Louw's final Baltimore post-mortem.
Springboks and Springbok Women fixtures: 2026–27 schedule in full
A full rundown of the 2026–27 Springbok and Springbok Women fixture schedule, including the Nations Championship, WXV, and a third Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium.
Erasmus dedicates Baltimore triumph to South Africans as Boks clinch Greatest Rivalry series
Rassie Erasmus delivered an emotional tribute to supporters back home after the Springboks sealed the inaugural Greatest Rivalry series with a 43-28 victory over New Zealand in Baltimore. Speaking before a record US crowd of 68,173, the head coach acknowledged the team's methods might annoy rivals but insisted making South Africans happy remains the sole motivation for the world champions.
Super Rugby's league-ification is why the All Blacks can't live with the Boks
Gavin Rich argues that Super Rugby's drift toward league-style rugby has left the All Blacks structurally underprepared for what the Boks bring — and that without SA franchises in the competition, New Zealand lacks the mechanism they've historically used to reset.
Rassie dedicates Baltimore series win to South Africans 'on the farm, in the township, in the mall'
Erasmus dedicated the Baltimore series win to South Africans across all walks of life, was candid about the criticism the Boks attract globally, and credited Kurt-Lee Arendse as the turning point in a game he admits could have gone either way.
Matfield and Kirwan lock horns over Baltimore's officiating
Matfield and Kirwan clashed publicly over the refereeing in the Springbok-All Black decider — the piece breaks down where they disagreed and whether the ref critiques hold up.
Willemse lifts the lid on the Boks' peaking strategy that decided the RGR series
Willemse confirms the Nations Championship rotation was a calculated peaking strategy, with games three and four always the target — and the first-Test loss the catalyst for the internal tightening that followed.
Matfield and Mallett: Only Three Teams Can Win 2027, and the Final Is the Boks' Easiest Game
Matfield sees a three-horse World Cup race — Boks, All Blacks, France — with the ability to win three brutal knockout games back-to-back as the decisive filter. Mallett adds the spicy take that if South Africa gets through the QF and SF, the final itself will be their most manageable match.
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.
Wallabies recall Petaia and blood new flyhalf for Springbok clash in Perth
Australia have recalled Jordan Petaia for the first time since the 2023 World Cup and included uncapped flyhalf Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in their 34-man squad for the Rugby Championship Test against South Africa in Perth on 27 September.
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.