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622 items · Springboks · Analysis
Willie le Roux reaches 400 first-class appearances — a career built on vision, not validation
Willie le Roux's 400th first-class appearance is the occasion for a warm but pointed reassessment — De Koning argues the criticism has always missed what coaches and teammates have long understood about his spatial intelligence and leadership value.
Stuart Barnes: SFM is the next Dan Carter — 'quicker, maybe better'
Stuart Barnes makes the case in The Times that SFM's attacking gifts — the vision, acceleration, and physicality on display in the Ulster draw — already outweigh his technical rough edges, and that the 2027 World Cup will confirm him as the next Dan Carter.
Hanekom's return to form headlines Bulls' 54-19 demolition of Zebre
Hanekom's 9/10 is the headline from Planet Rugby's Bulls ratings after the Zebre win, with Moodie's inconsistency, Le Roux's composed display at 10, and Gans's impact off the bench among the other talking points.
Hanekom returns to form as Bulls demolish Zebre — full player ratings
Hanekom's 9/10 performance signals a timely return to form, while Moodie's mixed outing encapsulates his inconsistent season — Planet Rugby's full ratings from the Bulls' big Loftus win break down who's pushing for Bok relevance and who still has work to do.
Landsberg keeping Bok door open as Zimbabwe circle ahead of RWC27
Landsberg has again turned down Zimbabwe, holding out for a Springbok call-up while refusing to accept the door is closed until Erasmus says otherwise — with a RWC27 deadline quietly ticking in the background.
SFM finds form, Roos overhyped, Fourie's future in doubt — Stormers rated after Ulster draw
Planet Rugby rates the Stormers after their 38-all draw in Belfast, pushing back on Ferris's harsh Roos verdict while highlighting Mchunu, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Van Heerden — and raising genuine concern over Deon Fourie's injury.
McCloskey: 'South Africans just hate the Irish'
Stuart McCloskey says South Africans 'just hate the Irish' more than it goes the other way, pointing to the URC, the 2023 World Cup clash, and even a stolen anthem as fuel for a rivalry he sees as increasingly replacing England and New Zealand as Ireland's defining one.
From No 8 to 'New Beast': How Everitt's persistence and the 2019 Boks converted Mchunu to loosehead
Gavin Rich profiles Mchunu's conversion from loose-forward to loosehead, tracing how Everitt's persistence and the 2019 Bok World Cup triumph convinced him the front row was where his future lay — and why he now has one eye on adding to his three Bok caps.
Woodward: RFU's drawn-out review has kneecapped Borthwick's Bok prep
Woodward argues the RFU's drawn-out review left Borthwick distracted at the worst possible time, and that England's chances in Johannesburg have been needlessly compromised — even if he believes the talent is there to beat the Boks.
Bok legends want no part of a kicking shootout to settle the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series
Three Bok legends have voiced their discomfort at the idea of a kicking competition deciding the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series if it ends level at 2-2 — the full piece details their preferred alternatives.
The Beast blueprint: How Everitt engineered Mchunu's Bok prop conversion
Everitt explains how his work with Mtawarira directly informed his decision to convert Mchunu from loose forward to prop — a blueprint worth understanding for anyone tracking how South Africa keeps finding tighthead solutions.
Three next-gen Boks pushing for a place in Rassie's summer plans
SA Rugby Mag profiles three emerging players Rassie is reportedly tracking as potential next-wave Boks, set against the backdrop of South Africa's formidable squad depth.
De Villiers: If it ends 2-2, the All Blacks deserve to win the series
De Villiers argues that if the Greatest Rivalry series ends 2-2, New Zealand should be awarded the win given South Africa's three-game home advantage — a view his co-hosts didn't share. The tiebreaker format remains unconfirmed, with SA Rugby still weighing options, and all three former Boks united in hoping it doesn't come down to a kicking competition.
Woodward backs England to bounce back against the Boks
Woodward is critical of the RFU's Six Nations review but still backs England to trouble the Boks — the piece unpacks that contradiction ahead of the series.
Kitshoff names his pick for next Bok captain — but there's a catch
Kitshoff backs Ruan Nortje as the next Bok captain but acknowledges the looming Japan move complicates the case — and admits there's no clear successor if Kolisi goes down before 2027.
All Blacks' loosehead crisis hands Springboks a ready-made weapon in Greatest Rivalry Series
Jeff Wilson has publicly identified loosehead prop as the All Blacks' most dangerous weakness ahead of four consecutive Tests against the Springboks — with Williams likely out, Tu'ungafasi's future uncertain, and the remaining options short on caps and experience. Set against the depth Erasmus has built across the prop positions, this piece maps out why scrum time could be where the Greatest Rivalry Series is decided.
Dobson backs Mchunu to force his way into Bok reckoning
Mchunu has been the Stormers' form loosehead this URC season, and Dobson is openly predicting a Springbok future for him — while acknowledging overseas interest that could complicate things.
Hansen: Boks are beatable — but don't copy their blueprint
Hansen pushes back on the 'copy South Africa' narrative ahead of the Greatest Rivalry tour, arguing that New Zealand's path back runs through their own identity — not the Erasmus blueprint.
Owens: Morgan's hit on Hooker should have been a yellow card
Nigel Owens says the challenge that put Hooker out with a dislocated shoulder was dangerous, illegal, and should have been carded — the piece unpacks the officiating decision.
Owens: Morgan should have been penalised — but SA fan abuse of him was 'totally unacceptable'
Owens says Morgan committed illegal foul play deserving a penalty and possibly a yellow, but draws the line at red card — and flatly condemns the social media abuse directed at Morgan as totally unacceptable regardless of the on-field grievance.