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2,959 items · Springboks
Louw: Scrum pressure means nothing without points on the board
Louw flags that the Boks' scrum dominance in the first Test is a platform, not a result — the focus now is converting that pressure into points in Cape Town.
Louw backs Boks to recover as Erasmus details cascade of disruption in Ellis Park defeat
Wilco Louw believes the Springboks can still win the series despite the 16-33 loss to New Zealand at Ellis Park, where the SA scrum was dominant for 55 minutes. Rassie Erasmus detailed how Kurt-Lee Arendse's early injury triggered a positional cascade that undermined his game plan, while Jesse Kriel attributed the defeat primarily to New Zealand's clinical finishing.
Kolisi set to return for Cape Town Test as Erasmus delivers blunt Ellis Park verdict
Siya Kolisi is set to return for the Cape Town Test next Saturday, with Rassie Erasmus delivering a candid post-mortem on the Ellis Park defeat — citing the All Blacks' red-zone defensive tactics as something the Boks were not equipped to handle.
Mallett makes the case for Morné at nine against the All Blacks
Mallett argues Morné van den Berg is underrated and makes the case for a halfback pairing that can convert Springbok forward dominance into wins against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
Ex-All Black defends Carley's Savea call — and explains why it was the match's turning point
Ant Strachan argues Matthew Carley's decision not to card Savea was correct by law — and that the 'double whammy' swing (Savea reprieved, Van Staden and Reinach binned in quick succession) was the moment the match was decided, with 15 vs 13 ending any realistic Bok comeback.
Dominant on paper, beaten by 17: the breakdown mechanics that cost the Boks
South Africa won the penalties, territory and scrum at Ellis Park and lost by 17. This forensic breakdown explains how — through a 78% defensive completion rate, 23 turnovers, 4.4-second ruck speed that handed New Zealand's strip tactic its ideal conditions, and a cluster of critical errors in the final quarter — and what needs to change mechanically before Cape Town.
Boks caught off guard by All Blacks' tactics in Ellis Park loss
Erasmus and Du Toit admit the Boks were tactically caught out — New Zealand's stripping game, breakdown intensity and 22-defence were better than anticipated, and the Boks' territorial dominance counted for nothing without the points to show for it.
De Klerk masterclass sends Cheetahs to home semifinal
A man-of-the-match Faf de Klerk inspired the Toyota Cheetahs to a 33-24 Currie Cup win over the Boland Kavaliers in Bloemfontein, securing the Cheetahs a home semifinal and moving them level with Griquas at the top of the table ahead of the final round.
Leaving Pollard on the bench cost the Boks dearly — and Erasmus already knew it
The piece argues Erasmus had ample prior evidence — Buenos Aires, Cape Town 2024 — that Pollard is irreplaceable as a game-manager in high-stakes Tests, and that leaving him out of the Ellis Park matchday squad was an avoidable error that directly contributed to a tactically disorganised Bok performance against a razor-sharp All Blacks side.
Erasmus and Du Toit: We were outfoxed, not unlucky
Erasmus and Du Toit admit the Boks were caught off-guard by an All Blacks gameplan built around tackle-stripping and breakdown intensity — and Erasmus is clear this isn't about learning lessons, it's about a team that knew what was needed and didn't do it.
Kolisi set to return for Cape Town Test as Kolbe and Arendse face fitness checks
Rassie Erasmus has confirmed Siya Kolisi is set to return for next weekend's Test in Cape Town after being managed through the Ellis Park defeat, while Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse both face fitness assessments following their early exits from Saturday's 33-16 loss to the All Blacks.
Kriel: Three Tests, knockout rugby, and belief the series isn't gone
Kriel argues the Boks can still win the Greatest Rivalry series 3-1, framing the remaining Tests as knockout rugby — while acknowledging New Zealand's clinical edge at Ellis Park was the decisive difference.
Rennie wary of Springbok backlash after All Blacks grind out Ellis Park win
Dave Rennie has cautioned against complacency after the All Blacks beat the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park, warning that the scoreline flattered his side and that a Springbok backlash awaits in Cape Town next weekend.
Erasmus breaks down the cascade of chaos that unravelled the Bomb Squad
Erasmus unpacks a night where injuries and yellow cards cascaded into tactical chaos, while both he and Du Toit credit the All Blacks' ball-stripping gameplan — not Bok sloppiness alone — as the decisive difference.
Two Cents: Rennie's blueprint fooled everyone — even him
Mark from Two Cents Rugby argues that Dave Rennie's deliberate tactical deception — hiding a kick-heavy game plan behind ball-in-hand warm-up performances — was the decisive factor in the All Blacks' game-one win, and that a Springbok bounce-back in Cape Town is close to inevitable given the handling errors were not all unforced.
Kriel calls for clinical edge ahead of Cape Town rematch
Jesse Kriel, capped for the 91st time, says the Springboks must be more clinical after their 33-16 defeat to the All Blacks in Johannesburg, with the second series match at DHL Stadium in Cape Town set for next Saturday.
Rennie warns of Springbok backlash after All Blacks hold on in Ellis Park arm wrestle
Dave Rennie has warned of a Springbok backlash in Cape Town after the All Blacks ground out a 33-16 win at Ellis Park that was far tighter than the margin suggests, with South Africa dominating much of the first hour before a scrum penalty shifted the contest.
Ellis Park again: Boks' second-half collapse raises familiar questions
Cardinelli dissects how the Boks' set-piece dominance at Ellis Park translated into almost nothing — 10 visits to the All Blacks' 22, five scrum penalties, and a 17-point loss — and identifies the ~60-minute turning point when New Zealand absorbed the Bok assault, targeted Steenekamp, and turned a three-point game into a rout. He draws parallels with last year's Australia collapse at the same ground but warns the Cape Town turnaround isn't automatic: 23 turnovers, a broken second-half structure, and an attack that couldn't crack the rush defence all need fixing before the series slips away.
Erasmus pulls no punches after Ellis Park collapse: 'We didn't play well'
Erasmus admitted the Springboks were thoroughly outplayed in the second half of their 33-16 defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park, conceding New Zealand were dominant across most facets of play and that South Africa must now win three consecutive Tests to claim the Greatest Rivalry series.
Rennie's '0.9 vs 3.7' stat reveals the real story behind the 33-16 scoreline
Rennie frames the 33-16 win as tighter than it looks — the decisive factor was a 3.67 vs 0.91 points-per-22-entry conversion gap, with the Boks held to a fraction of their usual scoring rate through sustained defensive pressure.