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2,327 items · Springboks
Erasmus reverts to original front row and moves Kolbe to full-back for third All Blacks Test at FNB Stadium
Erasmus reverts to his original front row of Nche, Louw and Marx for the third Greatest Rivalry Test at FNB Stadium, with Kolbe moving to full-back to cover the injured Willemse and Arendse coming onto the wing. The series is locked at 1-1, with the winner going two Tests clear ahead of the USA finale.
Erasmus backs continuity as Kolbe shifts to fullback for FNB decider
Rassie Erasmus has named a largely unchanged side for Saturday's third Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test against New Zealand at the FNB Stadium, making only four personnel changes and one positional switch. Cheslin Kolbe moves to fullback in place of the injured Damian Willemse, with Kurt-Lee Arendse drafted onto the wing. The front row of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw returns to the starting XV as the Springboks look to secure bragging rights on home soil.
All Black mind games are tainting the Greatest Rivalry
Louw argues that New Zealand's post-Cape Town scrum complaints are less a technical concern and more a deliberate attempt to shape referee thinking — part of a broader media campaign that has, in her view, tainted the series even as South Africa levelled it with a dominant 33-26 performance.
Kolbe to fullback, Arendse drafted in as Erasmus makes four changes for FNB Stadium decider
Rassie Erasmus has made four changes and one positional switch for Saturday's third Test against New Zealand at FNB Stadium, with Cheslin Kolbe moving to fullback for the injured Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse coming onto the wing, and the original starting front row of Nche, Louw and Marx restored.
Erasmus makes four changes for third RGR Test as Kolbe shifts to fullback and Arendse returns
Erasmus names four changes for the third RGR Test at FNB Stadium, with the original starting front row restored and Kurt-Lee Arendse coming in on the wing after Damian Willemse was ruled out injured, while Cheslin Kolbe moves to fullback.
Erasmus welcomes Arendse return as Boks opt for continuity against All Blacks
Rassie Erasmus has made four changes to the Springbok starting XV for Saturday's third Test against New Zealand at FNB Stadium, with Kurt-Lee Arendse returning on the wing after missing the Cape Town victory. The head coach emphasised continuity in selection following the 33-26 win that levelled the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series at one match apiece.
Erasmus makes four changes for third Test against All Blacks in Johannesburg
Kurt-Lee Arendse returns to the Springbok starting XV as Rassie Erasmus makes four changes and a positional switch for the third Test against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Matfield crowns Etzebeth the greatest Springbok of all time
Matfield has labelled Etzebeth the greatest Springbok ever after his standout display in the series-levelling Cape Town win — high praise from someone who held that standard himself.
Five moments that swung the Cape Town Test — and the series
Coetzee identifies the five moments that defined the Boks' Cape Town win — from a two-minute opening try that answered Ellis Park's demons, to Esterhuizen's last-gasp turnover — and argues the real shift was mental: smarter decisions, points banked, adversity absorbed.
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.