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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.
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.
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.
Momentum shifts back to the Boks, but the series is far from settled
Cardinelli argues that Cape Town restored Bok momentum without settling the series — unpacking the tactical shifts, the key individual moments, and why Rennie's All Blacks remain a genuine threat over the final two Tests.
Rennie's Test 3 blueprint: ball speed, aerial battle, and clinical finishing
Rennie identifies ball speed, aerial contest, and clinical finishing as the three areas separating the All Blacks from a series lead — and explains why he was completely unfazed by Erasmus's late front-row switch.
Erasmus fires back at Rennie's scrum-walking claims
Erasmus has pushed back hard on Rennie's post-match scrum complaints, calling them a media-pressure tactic rather than a legitimate concern — and pointing to New Zealand's own set-piece issues as evidence the criticism is selective.
Kolbe's left hook escapes citing — but fans aren't letting it go
Kolbe landed what looks like a clear left hook on Leroy Carter during the Boks' series-levelling win in Cape Town — no citing has followed yet, but fan pressure is mounting and the incident is worth monitoring with two matches still to play.
Erasmus flags edge defence as the priority heading into Johannesburg
Erasmus praised the All Blacks as a significantly improved side and pinpointed edge defence as the key area needing work before the Johannesburg Test, warning against complacency despite the Cape Town win.
Rennie's third-Test fixes: lineout, slow starts, and cracking the Bok kicking game
Rennie pinpoints lineout losses to Etzebeth's disruption, slow starts inside their own 22, and ball-speed as the key fixes before Johannesburg — while defending the kicking strategy that opened space for New Zealand's four tries in Cape Town.
Bok win came despite Erasmus chaos — and the forwards stole the show
The Boks won, but Planet Rugby argues the selection chaos was real — and their winners/losers breakdown rates the Etzebeth-Holland lock duel as the match highlight while flagging Erasmus's fortnight of dysfunction and a growing Ruben Love problem for the All Blacks.
Rassie turns the psychological tables on the All Blacks
Erasmus acknowledges All Blacks improvement but argues the psychological pressure has now flipped — the full piece unpacks his post-match mindset.
Ox fires back at Rennie's scrum complaints
Nché offers a blunt response to Rennie's complaints about Springbok scrum walkabouts and referee interpretations at the set-piece.
The pacing gene, standing crisps, and what the split trophy gets right
A fan-perspective column on the Cape Town Test that doubles as a quiet argument for why this rivalry is genuinely irreducible — Kolbe's kicking, the immovable Bok pack, and 112 Tests that still haven't settled anything.
Rassie fires back at Rennie's scrum accusations: 'Don't come with that nonsense'
Erasmus went after Rennie hard after Cape Town, rejecting the 'walking around' scrum accusation as a media pressure tactic and pointing to unpunished head contacts and collapsed All Blacks scrums as evidence the complaints only flow one way. The piece captures a coach who is both genuinely irritated and deliberately counter-punching heading into a decider.
Standing, pacing, and why the Greatest Rivalry trophy that breaks in two makes perfect sense
A fan's 3am perspective on the Cape Town Test, with a sharp breakdown of how Kolbe's boot decided the match despite the All Blacks scoring four tries — and why the series trophy designed to break in two is the most honest piece of rugby hardware ever made.
Kolbe and du Toit shine as Erasmus's selection gambles vindicated in Cape Town
Kolbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Etzebeth top the ratings as Planet Rugby's match review argues Erasmus's controversial pre-game selection changes — particularly in the front row — were vindicated by the result and the bench's collective impact.
Stransky's Hall of Fame induction brings 1995's defining moment back to life
Stransky's World Rugby Hall of Fame induction prompts a reflective column on the full scope of his Springbok career — beyond the drop goal — and the broader class of icons whose contributions the ceremony brought back into focus.
Rennie flags scrum concerns ahead of decider — but admits Boks deserved the win
Rennie has flagged the Boks' scrummaging tactics — and specifically the walking-around technique targeting the All Blacks' tighthead — as an ongoing concern after the Cape Town loss, with World Rugby already looped in. Beyond the set-piece, he acknowledged South Africa's dominance at the breakdown and in the air as the decisive factors heading into the FNB decider.