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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.
Tuipulotu admits Bok set-piece dominance has All Blacks on the back foot heading into series decider
Tuipulotu gives a frank series debrief ahead of the Baltimore decider — the Bok set-piece has dominated, he's been brought in specifically to address it, and he's not pretending the gap doesn't exist.
Springbok Women name settled WXV squad with Hlatshwayo covering for injured Mpupha
Naima Hlatshwayo is the only change to the Springbok Women's WXV Global Series touring squad, replacing the ankle-injured Zintle Mpupha. The tour opens against Wales in Cardiff on 18 September.
Bomb Squad set to blow the roof off Baltimore: Boks predicted to wrap up the RGR series 3-1
Planet Rugby tips the Boks to close out the RGR series 3-1 with a 43-20 win in Baltimore, building the case around forward dominance, the All Blacks' makeshift back row and loose trio, Van den Berg's tempo at nine, and a question mark over whether SFM has fully returned to his explosive best.
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 returns as All Blacks seek Baltimore leveller in Greatest Rivalry decider
Richie Mo'unga will start his first Test since the 2023 World Cup final when New Zealand face the Springboks in Baltimore on Saturday, with the series poised at 2–1 to South Africa. All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie confirmed the selection was pre-planned regardless of the Soweto result, while the Boks aim to clinch the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry trophy outright. The fixture doubles as a staging post for the 2031 World Cup in the United States.
Mo'unga starts Rugby's Greatest Rivalry decider as Rennie reveals Barrett's role in Baltimore
Richie Mo'unga starts the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series decider against the Springboks in Baltimore — a decision Dave Rennie says was locked in weeks ago regardless of the Soweto result. Ruben Love drops out of the 23 entirely, while Beauden Barrett returns for his first Test of the year, expected at fullback.
Rennie's RGR decider blueprint: front five overhaul and faith in the referee
Rennie has overhauled his tight five for Baltimore, acknowledging that New Zealand's own errors fed the scrum-penalty-piggyback cycle that hurt them in Soweto. With a truncated prep week, he's banking on personnel changes and referee Karl Dickson to turn the set-piece tide in the RGR decider.
Baltimore decider doubles as World Cup 2031 showcase
The Baltimore decider settles a tightly contested Bok-All Blacks series, but it's also World Rugby's most visible pitch yet for the US as a 2031 World Cup host — with venue negotiations ongoing and transatlantic Six Nations fixtures potentially in the pipeline.
Mo'unga returns at flyhalf for Baltimore decider as Rennie backs Love's development
Richie Mo'unga returns to start at flyhalf for the All Blacks in the Baltimore decider against the Springboks — his first Test since the 2023 World Cup Final — with Beauden Barrett named on the bench for the first time in the series.
De Allende lifts the lid on the Boks' midfield defensive system
De Allende explains that the Boks' midfield defence runs on preparation over instinct, with Kriel as the system's defensive leader. The disruption caused by Kriel moving to wing in the first RGR Test wasn't incidental — it exposed how load-bearing that partnership is.
Mo'unga Returns as All Blacks Ring Changes for Series Finale
Richie Mo'unga will make his first Test appearance in three years when New Zealand face the Springboks in Baltimore on Saturday, headlining wholesale changes to Dave Rennie's side. The fly-half last featured in the 2023 World Cup final defeat to South Africa. Codie Taylor captains an entirely recast front row in the absence of injured skipper Ardie Savea as the All Blacks seek to level the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series at two apiece.
Five things Rennie's Baltimore selection tells us about the All Blacks
Rennie's wholesale changes for the Baltimore decider are picked apart across five angles — depth vs the Boks, Mo'unga's cold audition, a set-piece crisis that forced a full front-row overhaul, and what the night means for Blackadder, Ioane and Beauden Barrett's All Blacks futures.
Ethan Hooker on fatigue, injury, loss — and what drives him in the Green and Gold
Ethan Hooker opens up on finding joy in fatigue, an early return from shoulder surgery, coping with his father's death mid-season, and what a first Bok loss taught him about the standards inside Erasmus's camp.
Rennie backs Taylor captaincy call ahead of Baltimore series finale
Dave Rennie says restoring Codie Taylor to the All Blacks captaincy for the series finale against the Springboks in Baltimore was an easy call.
Baltimore decider: Boks one point better, but All Blacks have the tools to level it
Rugby365 calls a one-point Bok win in Baltimore, with the analysis centred on whether Rennie's reshuffled loose trio and Tuipulotu's set-piece inclusion can finally neutralise South Africa's forward dominance — the area that has defined and ultimately decided the series.