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2,076 items · Analysis
Rennie stays mum on World Rugby's RGR officiating verdict
Rennie won't reveal what World Rugby told him about RGR officiating, keeps hammering the brake foot law, and sizes up the Wallabies' aerial threat ahead of the Bledisloe opener.
Dobson flags line-out crisis as make-or-break factor in Sharks derby
Dobson has identified the Stormers' lineout as the defining battleground against the Sharks, warning that a repeat of Edinburgh's 57% retention rate will cost them the match. He's outlined specific contingency options and flagged Etzebeth as the primary aerial threat — with systemic errors from last week already identified and corrected in preparation.
Matfield rates Bakkies above Eben in all-time lock rankings
Matfield puts Bakkies ahead of the record-breaking Etzebeth in his all-time lock rankings — the video captures his reasoning.
Dobson backs Pead as the future, not just a squad filler
Dobson confirms Pead's debut ahead of Warner and Ungerer is a deliberate long-term play — the Stormers view him as their scrumhalf future and want him in game rhythm as quickly as possible.
Lions know a Loftus win sets the tone for a brutal six-game block
With a daunting European tour looming, the Lions know a win at Loftus on Saturday is the foundation everything else gets built on. Redelinghuys unpacks the six-game block ahead and what Boan Venter is already bringing to the set piece.
Brown's blueprint: momentum, speed, space — and why South African instincts need rewiring
Brown outlines his three attacking pillars — momentum, speed, space — and identifies the core mindset challenge with Bok players: a deep-seated tendency to run over defenders rather than attack space, something he's been quietly rewiring since joining the setup.
Tonyball: Brown's attack philosophy starts with the personnel, not the playbook
Brown explains that his attack approach is built around who's available, then shaped toward momentum and space — a flexible rather than fixed system. Worth reading for the insight into how Bok attack strategy is actually constructed.
Tonyball decoded: Brown explains his Springbok attack philosophy
Brown outlines a personnel-driven attack philosophy built on momentum, speed, and space — less rigid system, more adaptive framework. Worth reading for anyone trying to understand the tactical logic behind the Bok attack.
From 'you'll never play again' to Springbok try-scorer: Groenewald's remarkable rise
Anushka Groenewald was told at the start of her career she'd never play rugby again after a serious ankle injury — she's now a 13-cap Springbok Women hooker with her first Test try to her name. This exclusive interview covers her comeback, the pack's growing reputation, and her call to the next generation.
Sharks' blueprint: Starve the Stormers maul at source
Rich argues the Stormers-Sharks derby turns on whether Etzebeth and the Sharks lineout can repeat last January's blueprint — disrupt the Stormers at source and neuter their maul before it starts. He unpacks why the Edinburgh lineout malfunction was more systemic than just Venter's HIA exit, and what Dobson needs to fix.
Sharks' culture shift is real — but the Stormers will be the first proper test
Rich's piece assesses the Sharks' structural overhaul and cultural reset through the voices of Nche, Mongalo, and Lemmer — finding genuine early signs of progress, but framing Saturday's trip to Cape Town as the first real measure of whether the rebuild is more than rhetoric.
Stormers vs Sharks: When the scrum becomes the game
Rich's derby preview makes the case that the Stormers-Sharks scrum battle is the defining contest within the contest — two packs that may collectively outrank most international front rows, led by Nche and Louw, who know each other too well for either to expect an easy ride.
Venter relishing personal edge of Jukskei Derby debut
Venter opens up on his first Jukskei Derby as a Lion — the personal stakes of facing Bok teammates, his quick settling-in at the Lions, and what he expects from a Bulls side built on a set-piece foundation.
Owen Doyle fires back: Hooper and Hansen are 'totally out of order' over Piardi criticism
Owen Doyle dismantles the Hooper-Hansen critique of Andrea Piardi, defends the Perth yellow cards on their merits, and broadens his attack on the push for a rugby league-style report system — part of his ongoing case against a widening north-south officiating divide.
Rennie's scrum crusade isn't about the laws — it's about the World Cup
Nel cuts through Rennie's latest scrum complaints to argue the real play is simple: create enough referee uncertainty around the scrum that, come a World Cup knockout, the Boks' set-piece edge gets neutralised by chaos rather than beaten on the field.
Rennie's scrum obsession isn't about the laws — it's about the World Cup
Rennie's scrum complaints aren't about fixing the laws — the author argues he's deliberately muddying the waters to create referee uncertainty ahead of a potential World Cup clash with the Boks.
The Japanese tip that's sharpening Lonergan's edge against the Boks
The piece profiles how Lonergan's grip technique — courtesy of a Japanese scrumhalf's tip in 2023 — has underpinned his consistent goalkicking and distribution form, including his starring role in the Wallabies' four-point win over the Boks in Perth.
Matfield flags Australia's aerial game as the All Blacks' biggest Bledisloe danger
Matfield argues the All Blacks' RGR failing — poor decision-making in big moments — could be compounded in the Bledisloe opener by Australia's aerial dominance, the same weapon that hurt the Boks in Perth.
Etzebeth and Van der Merwe silence the Sharks' big-name critics
Van der Merwe, Etzebeth, and Esterhuizen combined for a moment that directly challenged the 'saves it for the Boks' criticism — the piece breaks down why it matters for the Sharks' season.
Kirwan: Boks showed the All Blacks exactly who they need to be
Kirwan uses the Bok series as a blueprint for what the All Blacks must replicate — their intensity, physicality and desperation — now that South Africa isn't on the other side to force it out of them.