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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.
All Blacks call up Tu'ungafasi and Hannah as injury toll mounts ahead of Cape Town Test
Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Jamie Hannah join the All Blacks touring squad as concussion cover for Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord, adding to a mounting injury list that has already claimed four players to tour-ending injuries ahead of the second Test in Cape Town on 29 August.
Doctor on the field: Insaaf Levy's dual life in rugby and medicine
A profile on Springbok Women's player Insaaf Levy, who balances elite rugby with a career as a qualified doctor — she opens up about the values, people, and discipline that shaped both paths.
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.
Winners and losers from Ellis Park: Jordan and Barrett shine, Bomb Squad misfires
Jordan and Barrett were world-class at Ellis Park while the Bomb Squad flopped and Erasmus's narrow game plan left the Boks short — Planet Rugby's full winners-and-losers breakdown makes for uncomfortable reading ahead of the second Test.
Kriel backs Boks to win 3-1 — and draws a World Cup parallel
Kriel is calling a 3-1 series win for the Boks and drawing a direct comparison to World Cup knockout pressure — the piece unpacks that mentality ahead of the remaining Tests.
Rassie embraces the underdog tag — but three straight wins is the only way back
Erasmus conceded the Ellis Park hiding plainly, pinpointed a critical second-half tactical miscalculation, and is now leaning into the underdog role as the Boks face a must-win three-Test run starting in Cape Town.
Rennie singles out the scrum that broke the Boks' back
Rennie credits a 55th-minute scrum penalty as the turning point in New Zealand's Ellis Park win, with Bok handling errors and two yellow cards compounding a second half that slipped away from the hosts despite their dominant position at the break.
Kolisi to return for Cape Town Test as Erasmus counts cost of Ellis Park chaos
Rassie Erasmus has confirmed Siya Kolisi returns for the second Test in Cape Town after the Springboks lost the series opener 16-33 at Ellis Park, a match derailed by the early removal of Arendse, Kolbe's injury, and late yellow cards to Van Staden and Reinach.
Kriel calls for clinical edge as Boks regroup after Ellis Park loss
Jesse Kriel cited a lack of clinical finishing and breakdown struggles as the key reasons for South Africa's 33-16 first Test defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park, with the Boks now turning their attention to the second Test in Cape Town.
No excuses from the Boks — but answers needed quickly
Borchardt acknowledges the Boks' honest post-match response to the Ellis Park loss, but argues that accountability without rapid correction isn't enough — the full piece pushes into what the Boks actually need to fix.
Kolisi set to return for second Test as Boks assess Kolbe injury
Rassie Erasmus has confirmed Siya Kolisi will return for the second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town after missing most of the season with injury, while Cheslin Kolbe's second-half exit in the 16-33 loss at Ellis Park is believed to be cramp-related.
The scrum that swung Ellis Park
Keohane argues the Boks had the All Blacks on the back foot at Ellis Park until a pivotal scrum penalty swung the momentum — and the Test.
The scrum that swung the Ellis Park Test
Keohane argues the Boks had the All Blacks on the back foot at Ellis Park until a pivotal scrum penalty flipped the first Test — the piece dissects that turning point.
De Allende's rugby intelligence the secret behind century of Tests, says Erasmus
Damian de Allende will become the 10th Springbok centurion when he faces New Zealand on Saturday, 12 years after his debut against Argentina. Rassie Erasmus credits the 34-year-old's game understanding and passing rather than physicality as the foundation of his longevity. De Allende's battles against Sonny Bill Williams during his Stormers days first convinced Erasmus of his Test quality.
Erasmus and Stick back De Villiers for All Blacks debut at Ellis Park
Paul de Villiers will make his first start against New Zealand on Saturday after Siya Kolisi's latest hamstring injury ruled the captain out of the Ellis Park clash. The 23-year-old Stormers flank has earned the trust of the coaching staff after three consecutive starts in the Nations Championship, with Rassie Erasmus and Mzwandile Stick describing him as a warrior ready for rugby's biggest stage.
Erasmus invokes past comebacks as Boks slip to second in world rankings
South Africa dropped to second in the World Rugby rankings after a comprehensive 33-16 defeat to New Zealand at Ellis Park on Saturday. Rassie Erasmus drew parallels with previous setbacks — the 2021 Lions opener and the 2019 World Cup pool loss to the All Blacks — as he insisted the Springboks have navigated catastrophic situations before. The world champions now face a three-match winning streak to claim the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series.