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Graham Henry backs Erasmus's rotation strategy — and takes a quiet shot at those who once mocked his own
Henry praises Erasmus's rotation depth and Bomb Squad innovation ahead of the four-Test series, drawing a wry parallel to when his own All Blacks rotation policy faced the same criticism — and identifying the first post-Bomb Squad scrum as a likely turning point.
Rassie's series plan: sacrifice game one, win the war
Erasmus is managing this RGR series as a four-test campaign, not a single-game crisis — deliberately holding back Kolisi, Mostert and De Jager, flagging heavy rotation for Cape Town, and backing fresher legs and superior depth to be decisive when the series reaches its business end.
Bomb Squad vs a thin All Blacks bench: where Saturday's Test could be won
Cardinelli argues the Boks' Bomb Squad is ideally placed to exploit a green All Blacks bench — if the starting XV can keep the first half competitive, the second-half forward mismatch could prove decisive. He also unpacks the halfback selections, the Esterhuizen wildcard, and why Rassie's squad rotation signals a long-game approach to the four-Test series.
Rennie's All Blacks get injury boost ahead of Ellis Park opener
Rennie gets his preferred squad for Ellis Park after Jordan, Roigard, and McKenzie all recover in time. The second-row selection — with Tuipulotu left out — was his toughest call. He wants to draw first blood but is keeping the bigger series picture in mind.
Paulse, Aplon and Russell on why the Boks-All Blacks rivalry hits different
Paulse, Aplon and Russell revisit their All Blacks battles and explain why the greatest rivalry in rugby has the feel of a Hollywood blockbuster — worth a read ahead of the next Bok-NZ clash.
Fitzpatrick: Beating the Boks in South Africa in '96 tops everything — including the World Cup
Fitzpatrick rates the 1996 series win in South Africa above his World Cup triumph, calling it his greatest achievement — and his advice to the current All Blacks chasing the same feat against the Boks is blunt: be relentless, or pay for every mistake.
Wiese tops Planet Rugby's world eight rankings — with Hanekom cracking the top 10
Planet Rugby puts Wiese at the top of the global eight rankings, with Hanekom cracking the top 10 — the piece makes a strong structural argument for why Wiese is the foundation the entire Bok system is built on.
The breakdown battle that will decide the Boks-ABs opener happens before anyone reaches the ball
The piece argues the Boks-ABs breakdown battle is decided at the moment of tackle and post length — not at the jackal — and dismantles five widely held myths about how the contest actually works, with sharp analysis of both sides' structural approaches and what Carley's refereeing is likely to reward.
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.