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Parsons: Sacha is the right 10 if the Boks want to win big
James Parsons argues Feinberg-Mngomezulu's attacking game makes him the Bok 10 of choice for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour — if the target is winning by a significant margin.
All Blacks banking on innovation — but won't abandon their DNA against the Boks
Umaga signals the All Blacks will seek tactical innovation across the four-Test series without abandoning their fast-tempo identity — but his admission that the tour also serves a longer World Cup-building agenda raises the question of whether New Zealand can afford that dual focus against a Springbok side with nothing else on their mind.
Bok XV vs Argentina predicted: Returning veterans set for minutes ahead of All Blacks series
Planet Rugby predicts an injury-returnee-heavy Bok XV against Argentina, with Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hanekom all tipped to start as Erasmus uses the one-off Test to bank minutes before the All Blacks series.
Rassie: Traditional All Blacks touring matches a new experience for a generation of fans
Erasmus sees the return of traditional All Blacks touring matches to SA as a landmark moment for a generation of players and fans who've never experienced it — the piece digs into why he thinks it matters.
Sam Cane names Pieter-Steph du Toit as the Springbok who stood above all others
Sam Cane, having faced two Springbok World Cup-winning generations across 16 Tests, singles out Pieter-Steph du Toit as the standout opponent — comparing his relentless physicality to Schalk Burger and his athletic profile to Brodie Retallick.
Cane reveals Rennie's Springbok blueprint — and why altitude isn't the edge everyone thinks it is
Cane reveals that Rennie built Chiefs teams around chop tacklers specifically to counter South African power, and argues that the Boks' supposed altitude advantage is largely a misconception — framing both points as directly relevant to how Rennie will set up the All Blacks for this series.
Rassie's Argentina squad logic: game time over rotation
Erasmus has all but named his Argentina squad — those needing game time travel, the core stays home for the All Blacks. The piece projects the likely starting XV and bench for Buenos Aires.
Kitshoff's key prediction: tight-five work rate will decide the Greatest Rivalry series
Kitshoff predicts the tight-five work rate stat — a Felix Jones favourite — will be the defining factor in the Greatest Rivalry series, and breaks down why the Bok front row depth is built for exactly that battle.
Erasmus flags Rennie's scrumhalf call and Savea absence as early talking points
Erasmus has flagged Rennie's three-scrumhalf selection and Savea's managed absence as immediate curiosities, while revealing his own squad juggling act — where franchise fixtures against the touring All Blacks double as final Bok trials.
Erasmus maps out a four-test marathon, not a sprint
Erasmus's approach to the four-test series is deliberate and phased — build across the series, peak late, and make final selection calls only after seeing how the All Blacks play the franchises. Injury news is largely positive, and the Boks' depth means they're better placed than most to execute that kind of series-long strategy.
Rennie's Savea gamble raises more questions than it answers
Rennie's call to rest Savea for the tour's opening weeks is defensible on welfare grounds, but this piece argues it creates squad dynamic questions and match-sharpness risk — and that the Boks will be watching closely for any edge it hands them.
Jantjies caught between Bayonne exit and a South African return with no landing spot
Bayonne are prepared to offload Jantjies before the new Top 14 season, but Erasmus's desire to get him playing URC rugby is running into a wall — no South African franchise is currently interested in signing him.
Matfield: Faf is knocking on the door — but the Currie Cup that shaped him barely exists anymore
Matfield tips Faf de Klerk for a Springbok recall after his Cheetahs form, while delivering a frank verdict that the Currie Cup has effectively become a development competition — meaningful for smaller unions, but a shadow of what it was when the big franchises fielded full-strength sides.
From winger to enforcer: Etzebeth on his transformation, his suspensions, and the Bok physicality culture
Etzebeth opens up on his teenage body transformation, the Alaalatoa brawl, his Wales suspension, and how Erasmus has made physicality a squad-wide non-negotiable rather than one man's burden.
Sam Cane: Kolbe is one of the greatest players of all time
Sam Cane, speaking from years of daily training alongside Kolbe at Suntory, rates him among the greatest players of all time — not for what he does on match day, but for what he does every week in training.
Etzebeth's favourite All Blacks memory isn't Paris — it's the night the nuke squad was born
Etzebeth picks the 35-7 Twickenham win over the All Blacks as his favourite memory, explains his reaction when Erasmus first proposed the 7/1 bench split, and half-seriously floats an 8/0 option ahead of the Greatest Rivalry series.
Etzebeth on his worst day, his 2019 vs 2023 verdict, and why Rassie is Michael Scofield
Etzebeth opens up on the 2015 semi-final as his career low, explains what Erasmus actually changed in Bok culture, and rates 2019 above 2023 — with a memorable Prison Break analogy for Rassie's tactical edge.
Etzebeth names 2015 semi-final aftermath as his worst day — and explains the 'Prison Break' quality that makes Erasmus different
Etzebeth opens up on the 2015 semi-final loss as the darkest moment of his career, rates 2019 above 2023 as a World Cup achievement, and gives a telling account of how Erasmus rebuilt Bok culture around accountability and collective buy-in rather than individual stardom.
Cane expects All Blacks to feed off Ellis Park hostility
Sam Cane backs the All Blacks to thrive under Ellis Park pressure, framing the hostile atmosphere as motivation rather than a threat ahead of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry opener against the Springboks.
Matfield: Kolisi and Etzebeth still World Cup-bound — but nobody gets a free pass under Rassie
Matfield backs Kolisi and Etzebeth to reach the 2027 World Cup, arguing De Villiers is a complement rather than a straight replacement, while underlining that Erasmus's uncompromising form-or-drop culture applies to everyone — veterans included.