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2,958 items · Springboks
Erasmus makes four changes for third RGR Test at FNB Stadium
Erasmus reverts to his original front row and brings in Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing for the injured Damian Willemse, with Cheslin Kolbe shifting to fullback, as the Boks prepare for Saturday's third RGR Test against New Zealand at FNB Stadium.
Mallett: Gardner abdicated scrum responsibility and handed New Zealand a free pass
Mallett argues Gardner abdicated scrum responsibility, handing New Zealand a free pass on set-piece penalties and nullifying what should have been South Africa's decisive weapon — with the third Test referee now under the spotlight.
Nché deflects Rennie's scrum criticism to referee as series heads to decider
Ox Nché deflected Dave Rennie's scrum-walking accusations to the referee's interpretation while admitting the Springboks need fewer resets, after earning his 50th Test cap in Saturday's series-levelling 33-26 win over the All Blacks.
Rassie's MCD — Mad Genius Disease — and why the Fourie selection was method, not madness
Gavin Rich argues Erasmus's Fourie-at-hooker gamble was calculated genius rather than panic, defends the late team-sheet change as entirely within the spirit of 23-man rugby, and rails against referee Angus Gardner's scrum abdication — while also capturing the genuine mutual respect between the Boks and All Blacks that underpins Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.
Cape Town correction: How the Boks fixed their Ellis Park errors — and why Rennie's complaints miss the point
Louw dissects the Cape Town win through the lens of Bok adaptation — sharper red-zone conversion, lineout dominance, breakdown mastery — while taking Robertson to task for deflecting from New Zealand's set-piece problems with post-match complaints about the Bok scrum.
Kolbe wants back-to-back 'Blou Maandag' moments
Kolbe warns the All Blacks will be motivated by revenge, and argues the Boks must raise their intensity to secure back-to-back wins over New Zealand.
Mallett: The Rassie-Rennie mind games are drowning out the rugby
Mallett argues the Erasmus-Rennie back-and-forth is a distraction from the Springbok-All Black series itself — the piece weighs whether the mind games have any real strategic value.
Willemse ruled out of Soweto decider as Erasmus confirms hamstring blow
Damian Willemse will miss next weekend's series decider against New Zealand after suffering a hamstring injury in Saturday's 33-26 victory at DHL Stadium. Rassie Erasmus confirmed the fullback's absence following the Cape Town triumph that levelled Rugby's Greatest Rivalry at 1-1. The Springboks now face selection headaches in the back three ahead of the Soweto showdown.
Soweto selection puzzle: Will Rassie stick or twist for the decider?
Rich unpacks why Erasmus's Soweto selection is unusually difficult to predict — his original rotation plan was disrupted by the Johannesburg loss, the All Blacks are proving a tougher physical proposition than anticipated, and the squad that won in Cape Town is now two tests deep with real fatigue questions.
Theatre or overreach? Ex-All Black weighs in on Rassie's post-match meltdown
Ant Strachan and Gregor Paul dissect Erasmus's post-Cape Town press conference eruption — one sympathetic to the method, the other arguing Rassie turned a non-issue into the headline and handed the All Blacks a narrative gift.
Rassie's Soweto selection puzzle: back up or change up?
Rich unpacks the selection dilemma Erasmus faces for Soweto: his original rotation plan was built on a 2-0 lead that never materialised, the All Blacks are proving harder to physically wear down than anticipated, and an Etzebeth in career-best form headlining a squad that's backed up twice must now do it all again in what amounts to a mini-decider.
NZ media credits Rassie's front-row bomb for Cape Town turnaround
New Zealand's rugby press is candid about Cape Town — Erasmus's last-minute front-row switch blindsided the All Blacks' prep and the Boks' superior collision work and game management did the rest, with Love and Jordie Barrett both off their Johannesburg peaks.
The Cape Town scrum explained: why both Rennie and Erasmus were partly right — and partly wrong
A technical dismantling of the Cape Town scrum controversy — what Rennie's 'walking around' charge actually means mechanically, why Nché's hip mobility sits at the centre of it, and how surface conditions, referee approach and Erasmus's deliberate substitution timing all shaped a penalty count that neither coach's public narrative fully explains.
Lekker Rugby Pod: Dave Rennie Went to the Top, and Angus Gardner Arrived With Instructions
The Lekker Rugby Pod argues that Dave Rennie lobbied World Rugby before the second test, resulting in referee Angus Gardner policing the Springbok scrum under what amounts to an off-the-books interpretation — and that the All Blacks' "walk-around" narrative collapses under scrutiny of the actual laws and the scrum statistics.
Springbok centre Joggie Jansen passes away at 78
Former Springbok centre Joggie Jansen, who earned 10 Test caps between 1970 and 1972 and is remembered for one of rugby's most celebrated tackles, passed away following a heart attack in Namibia on Sunday. He was 78.
Tupaea pinpoints where the Boks hurt the All Blacks most
Tupaea identifies the high-ball battle and the All Blacks' own errors as the decisive factors in the second Test loss, with both areas squarely in New Zealand's sights heading into the series decider at FNB Stadium.
Erasmus warns of improved All Blacks as Greatest Rivalry heads to decider
South Africa's 33-26 win at DHL Stadium levels the Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1, with Erasmus warning the Springboks must improve significantly before the Johannesburg decider despite ending Dave Rennie's unbeaten start as All Blacks coach.
Cape Town win keeps Boks alive — but at what cost going into Soweto?
The Boks were sharper and more efficient in Cape Town, but Spink argues they burned through every available lifeline to win — and the Erasmus front-row switch will hand the All Blacks a motivational edge heading into the Soweto decider.
Erasmus fires back at Rennie over scrum allegations
Erasmus hits back at Rennie's 'walking around' scrum accusations, calling it deliberate referee-influencing and pointing to unpunished All Black infringements as evidence of double standards — the exchange sets up a spicy narrative heading into the third Test in Johannesburg.
Erasmus's front-row bluff, Marx's deployment window, and why New Zealand's media game backfired
Erasmus's anonymous front-row switch bought lineout dominance at the cost of scrum control, but the real margin came from deploying Marx into the precise refereeing window where jackling penalties are most rewarded. The piece also argues Rennie won the media-tactics battle this week — and that the All Blacks' lineout problems are more serious than their stats suggest.