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All Blacks look dangerous under Rennie — but the real test is coming to South Africa
Rennie's All Blacks went 3-from-3 in the Nations Championship with a more expansive style that's lifted the squad's mood and confidence. The real acid test is the upcoming four-Test series against the Springboks — and on this evidence, they'll be no pushovers.
Scotland are evolving — but 'close' keeps falling short of the statement win they need
Scotland's Nations Championship southern leg confirmed both their growth and their defining frustration — genuinely threatening the Springboks in Pretoria, yet again falling agonisingly short of the statement win that would cement their standing among the world's elite.
Wales find an identity under Tandy — but the Springboks exposed its ceiling
Wales are building a credible forward-driven identity under Tandy, but the Boks' 43-0 dismantling in Durban showed exactly where that identity hits its ceiling — the full Nations Championship review breaks down what worked, what didn't, and whether this Welsh rebuild is the real deal.
Hansen: Squad unity the 'critical' challenge for All Blacks in South Africa
Hansen argues that managing the two-bus dynamic — Test players vs. midweekers — is the make-or-break cultural challenge for the All Blacks' South Africa tour, and places the burden squarely on senior players and Enoka to keep the 44-man squad unified.
Mexted bullish on All Blacks under Rennie — and takes aim at Ireland's self-belief
Mexted backs Rennie's All Blacks after a 3-0 Nations Championship start and dismisses Ireland as overconfident — worth reading for the Bok-relevant context of where New Zealand are heading under new management.
Twelve players who defined the Nations Championship's opening rounds
Louw's rundown of the Nations Championship's 12 best performers so far doubles as a form guide heading into the November leg — essential reading for tracking where the Boks and their rivals stand at the halfway mark.
England rebound but discipline remains a crisis
England's Nations Championship block shows genuine progress under Borthwick — better attack, better defence, quality individual performances — but a penalty count of 34 across three Tests, with six yellows, is now being called an epidemic and remains the unresolved threat to any sustained improvement.
Nations Championship report card: Boks earn A+, but the grades tell a deeper story
Planet Rugby's Nations Championship report card hands the Boks the only A+ — crediting the squad depth, rotation, and shutout of Wales — while drawing sharp conclusions about Ireland's Eden Park implosion, England's discipline problem, and Fiji's commercial scheduling injustice. A quick, pointed read on where things stand before the Rugby Championship.
All Blacks building momentum, Junior Boks back-to-back, and the TMO problem nobody wants to admit
The All Blacks' dominant first half against Ireland signals genuine momentum under Rennie ahead of the Bok series, while South Africa's summer of squad rotation — including the Junior Boks' back-to-back JWC title — looks increasingly purposeful. Argentina's implosion and the accelerating TMO dependency are the weekend's biggest concerns.
Nations Championship: What worked, what didn't, and why it already changes the stakes
A thorough first-edition verdict on the Nations Championship — what made July rugby matter for the first time in a generation, and the specific structural and logistical flaws the tournament must fix before the Twickenham finals.
Vaa'i at 6 silences doubters — and raises big questions for the Bok series
Vaa'i's blindside display against Ireland has converted his critics and opened a genuine selection debate — with both he and a returning Tuipulotu now flagged as key weapons for the Bok series.
All Blacks dismantle Ireland at the ruck — but a familiar second-half flaw follows them into Bok territory
New Zealand's Eden Park demolition of Ireland was built on ruck dominance and disciplined passivity, but the piece identifies a recurring second-half fade as the one flaw a perfect July hasn't buried — and the one South Africa's analysts will target across four upcoming Tests.
Rennie warns rivals: 'We've got a lot more in us'
Rennie's All Blacks swept their July Tests and he's warning there's more to come — but he's openly framing the South Africa tour as the real benchmark, and the piece unpacks what's improved, what hasn't, and what the Boks can expect.
Laurie Mains backs Rennie's All Blacks — but warns player workload could cost them against the Boks
Mains backs Rennie's new-look All Blacks but warns the brutal 2026 schedule — Super Rugby, Nations Championship, URC warmup games, and four Tests against the Boks — risks leaving New Zealand's players mentally and physically spent before the series that matters most.
Laurie Mains backs Rennie's direction but warns All Blacks are heading for a burnout crisis
Mains backs Rennie's style and selections but warns the 2026 schedule is piling too much onto New Zealand's top players — with the Springbok series arriving at the back end of a punishing year.
Marshall warns All Blacks: Jordan at 14 is a luxury the Boks series might expose
Marshall argues Jordan at 14 is a depth-chart workaround, not a true positional solution — and that the Springboks' aerial kicking game will expose whether McKenzie can hold the 15 jersey under genuine pressure.
Hansen questions whether Borthwick actually knows how England want to play
Hansen and McKenzie argue England's core problem isn't talent — it's a coaching framework built for a different kind of English team, leaving a skilled, athletic squad caught between styles and never fully committing to either.
Tindall and Haskell: England's defensive carousel is the root of the problem — and Shaun Edwards is the obvious fix
Tindall and Haskell dissect England's defensive collapse — four coaches in two years, ballooning points conceded, and a clear fix being ignored in Shaun Edwards. The broader argument is about world-class pedigree vs. potential, and whether Borthwick's setup has enough of the former.
Marshall and Read: All Blacks must hit the ground running before South Africa tour
Marshall and Read argue Rennie must use the Italy and Ireland Tests to lock in combinations and build genuine belief — warning that South African provincial sides will target the All Blacks physically in the midweek games, and that the Boks' squad depth puts them in the same elite tier as Ireland and France.
England look to Fiji for bounce-back after Johannesburg mauling
England's Nations Championship camp eyes a Fiji bounce-back after the Johannesburg hammering, with uncapped back Janse van Rensburg set to come into the frame.