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2,959 items · Springboks
Biggar dissects what made the All Blacks clinical where the Boks weren't
Biggar argues the Ellis Park result turned on a single, stark contrast: the All Blacks were ruthlessly clinical in the 22 (five tries from their visits) while the Springboks — historically their own benchmark in that area — managed just one. He traces how New Zealand's rip-tackling, breakdown pressure and defensive line-flooding disrupted the Boks' attack at its source, turning an uncharacteristic off-day into a 33-16 statement.
Kolisi returns to lead Boks as Erasmus takes personal responsibility for Johannesburg defeat
Siya Kolisi returns from a grade two hamstring tear to captain the Springboks against New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday, with Rassie Erasmus taking personal responsibility for the 33-16 defeat in Johannesburg and warning that defeat in the second Test would end the Boks' chances of winning the four-Test series. Pieter-Steph du Toit, who reaches 100 Test caps, starts in the loose trio but without the captaincy burden.
Morne Steyn backs Pollard call and says Ellis Park loss might be exactly what the Boks needed
Morne Steyn backs Pollard's selection as the reliable, pragmatic call for the second Test, explains why SFM's demotion isn't a verdict on his talent, and argues the Ellis Park defeat may ultimately benefit the Boks ahead of the World Cup.
Blackadder forces his way into Rennie's Test calculations after Lions demolition job
Ethan Blackadder's 16-carry, two-try display against the Lions has put him firmly in contention for Saturday's second Test in Cape Town, with Dave Rennie also forced to cover the lock position following Josh Lord's concussion.
Win or bust: Boks must find clinical edge to stay alive in Greatest Rivalry series
The Boks need three straight wins to take the series, and Erasmus, Kriel, and Louw all point to the same diagnosis: enough possession and platform, not enough clinical execution when it counted — with the All Blacks' defensive intensity the key forcing agent.
Smit urges calm after Ellis Park collapse: 'We haven't become a s**t team in one day'
Smit argues the Ellis Park scoreline flattered the All Blacks, traces the collapse to a 14-point swing and Arendse's injury derailing the bench plan, and warns that South African fans' tendency to catastrophise is the biggest risk heading into the Cape Town Test.
Don't read too much into the All Blacks' midweek win — Rassie rarely gets caught twice
Midweek Lions-franchise results have historically misled tour predictions, and this piece argues the Boks' route back into the series is clearer than the first-Test scoreline implies — if Erasmus fixes the attacking structure that the provincial Lions exposed as New Zealand's vulnerability.
Blackadder and Ioane flash warning signs ahead of Cape Town test
Gavin Rich cautions against assuming the All Blacks are running out of steam. Blackadder's Ellis Park breakout and Ioane's growing authority at centre show Rennie has options, while the Lions' near-upset reinforces that SA's provincial depth is real — even if the pre-season timing has blunted it.
Five levers Erasmus can pull to spark a Bok turnaround in Cape Town
Louw's five-point breakdown zeroes in on execution rather than selection as the core Bok problem — the platform was there at Ellis Park, the conversion wasn't. Kolisi's return, the Pollard switch at 10, and an already-dominant scrum are framed as the building blocks for a series reset in Cape Town.
Blackadder, Ioane and the midweek warning signs the Boks can't ignore
Rich challenges the assumption that All Black tour attrition will hand the Boks an inevitable edge, pointing to Blackadder and Ioane's performances in the midweek win over the Lions as evidence Rennie has more options than the injury list suggests — while also noting how close to full-strength SA franchise sides came when properly matched.
Rassie says joint referee meetings are pointless — and he's got a point
Erasmus argues World Rugby's joint coach-referee meeting rule has killed the format's purpose — confidential tactical prep is impossible with the opposition in the room, so coaches skip the meetings entirely and use the media instead.
Reinach flags breakdown improvements as Boks prepare for Cape Town rematch
Cobus Reinach has identified breakdown execution as the key focus for the Springboks ahead of Saturday's second Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town, following last week's 33-16 loss at Ellis Park, with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ox Nche set to reach 100 and 50 Test caps respectively.
Louw: Scrum dominance means nothing if the Boks don't finish
Louw acknowledges the Springbok scrum delivered at Ellis Park but argues it counts for nothing without clinical finishing — and identifies that conversion failure, not set-piece weakness, as the reason the series opener slipped away.
Plumtree unconvinced by Fourie's spot on the Bok bench
Plumtree is publicly questioning whether Fourie is the right call as Bok replacement hooker for the second Test — the piece unpacks his reasoning.
Plumtree not sold on Fourie's bench role for Cape Town Test
Plumtree is publicly skeptical of Fourie's inclusion as bench hooker for the Cape Town Test — the piece details his concerns about using a utility forward in that specialist role.
Segner ruled out of All Blacks tour after ankle surgery
Anton Segner has been ruled out of the remainder of the All Blacks' South Africa tour after ankle surgery, becoming the fifth player lost to injury. New Zealand won the first test 33-16.
Erasmus's press conference blitz is a plan, not panic
Nel argues Erasmus's heavy media presence ahead of the Cape Town test isn't panic — it's a calculated strategy to absorb pressure, own the coaching failures from Ellis Park, and free his staff to prepare properly. The 2018 Wellington precedent is the key reference point.
Bongi's comeback timeline remains murky, but Erasmus confirms he's 'really close'
Erasmus brushes off the wet-weather prep debate and gives an honest — if uncertain — update on Mbonambi's return, while sketching out how the Bok hooker depth chart is being managed toward 2027.
Plumtree: All Blacks arrive in Cape Town with a point to prove
Plumtree warns the Boks face an All Blacks side motivated to turn a series advantage into a statement — the piece unpacks why he sees Cape Town as dangerous ground for South Africa.
Matfield and Mallett: Three calls that compounded the Boks' own failings at Ellis Park
Matfield and Mallett accept the defeat but dissect three Matthew Carley calls — the Holland/Etzebeth chargedown asymmetry, the scrum penalty reversal at a critical moment, and the Van Staden yellow versus Jacobson's unpunished offence — that compounded South Africa's own wastefulness.