Every story on the wire.
203 items · General · Analysis
Rennie backs All Blacks quality despite Springbok series loss
Rennie insists the All Blacks are better than their 3-1 series record against the Boks suggests, and frames the remaining six Tests — starting with the Bledisloe — as the opportunity to prove it.
O'Mahony rates Farrell above Erasmus — but his Rassie insight is what Bok fans need to hear
O'Mahony picks Farrell as his all-time coach, but his inside account of how Erasmus actually operates — tactician, motivator, pressure-absorber, and shrewd assembler of specialist staff — offers genuine texture on the Bok boss that goes beyond the headlines.
Hooper's Piardi plea is referee-bashing with a welfare bow on top
Planet Rugby argues Hooper's 'duty of care' plea is referee-bias finger-pointing in disguise — and that the Wallabies' indiscipline, not Piardi, is the real problem.
Johnson: Never Write Off the Wallabies at Their Own World Cup
Johnson draws on 2003 experience to argue the Wallabies — unbeaten under Kiss and fresh off beating the world champions with 11 men — should not be dismissed as genuine 2027 contenders, warning that Australian home conditions and tactical cleverness make them dangerous regardless of current rankings.
Hansen pinpoints exactly where the Boks broke the All Blacks — and why it worries him
Hansen itemises the four areas — breakdown work, scrum dominance on SA ball, high ball, and maul defence — where the Springboks exposed the All Blacks across the series, while arguing the gaps are fixable rather than structural.
All Blacks forwards rated: Savea shines but the scrum tells a worrying World Cup story
A granular forward-by-forward rating from the 3-1 series loss — the loose forward depth looks encouraging, but a fragile tighthead scrum is flagged as a genuine World Cup concern.
Jake White: This All Blacks side lack something no NZ side has ever lacked
White argues this All Blacks side are missing something historically unprecedented in New Zealand rugby — and that it adds context to South Africa's current standing at the top of the game.
Ex-All Black: Boks could have swept 4-0 had South Africa not overplayed their hand in Joburg
New Zealand pundits dissect the 3-1 series loss, with Afoa arguing South Africa's overconfidence in the first Test handed the All Blacks a result they didn't deserve — and that a 4-0 thrashing was very much on the cards.
Rennie's All Blacks have identity — but do they have the fundamentals to back it up?
Rennie has given the All Blacks an attacking identity and genuine confidence with ball in hand — but the set-piece and aerial game remain unresolved problems that could undermine the whole project if left unchecked heading toward the World Cup.
Ex-Wallaby calls brake-foot law 'dangerous as hell' after Springboks scrum penalties sink All Blacks
Jeremy Paul argues World Rugby's brake-foot law is physically dangerous — not just over-officiated — and offers a hip-based framework for referees to simplify scrum policing, triggered by the penalties that hurt the All Blacks against the Springboks.
Kirwan backs Rennie but admits All Blacks must win now
Kirwan defends Rennie after the 3-1 series loss, blaming Bok pressure-management experience rather than All Blacks coaching — but warns results in the Bledisloe and November tour are now non-negotiable.
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.
Mo'unga: Boks are a 'complete team' — and three years away reminded him nothing compares to Test rugby
Mo'unga's first Test since the 2023 World Cup final ended in a 43-28 defeat, and he was frank about it — the Boks are a more complete team than they were in Paris, and the All Blacks still have ground to make up in accuracy and defensive pressure.
Rennie takes the long view after 3-1 series loss to the Boks
Rennie's verdict on a 3-1 series defeat to the Boks is less about damage control and more about what the tour revealed — Preston's rise, Barrett's squad value, and the disciplinary lapses that keep costing the All Blacks against top-tier opposition.
All Blacks ratings: Roigard and Blackadder shine, but Bomb Squad exposes New Zealand's bench depth
Roigard and Blackadder were the bright spots in Baltimore, but Planet Rugby's ratings expose a thin All Blacks bench demolished by the Bomb Squad, a leaky lineout, and a front five outmuscled for the series.
All Blacks ratings: Roigard and Blackadder shine but Bomb Squad exposure tells the real story
Planet Rugby's Baltimore player ratings highlight Roigard and Blackadder as the All Blacks' best, but identify the Bomb Squad's demolition of the bench and a physically outgunned front five as the defining factors in a 43-28 defeat.
Hansen backs Rennie's rotation gamble for Bok decider
Hansen endorses Rennie's decision to start Mo'unga and rest Love entirely, framing it as sound man-management and a deliberate squad-depth test — with several changes forced by injury rather than choice.
Lienert-Brown on what it'll take to topple the Boks
Lienert-Brown believes the All Blacks' path to beating the Boks in Saturday's decider runs through the fine detail — the full piece unpacks his analysis of those critical margins.
Mo'unga's return puts Love's All Blacks future on the line
Mo'unga's return from a near three-year absence is the lens through which Planet Rugby dissects Rennie's selection — with Love's long-term hold on the 10 jersey now in genuine doubt, and bigger questions hanging over Ioane, Beauden Barrett, and Sititi's respective Test futures.
Roigard flags Bok error-exploitation as All Blacks' key Baltimore problem
Roigard identifies Springbok error-exploitation as the All Blacks' core problem heading into Baltimore — South Africa's kicking and set-piece game feeds directly off opposition mistakes, and the All Blacks made too many in Soweto. He's confident in the squad's growth but knows cleaner execution is non-negotiable in the series decider.