Every story on the wire.
4,001 items
Du Toit to captain Springboks as De Allende reaches century
Pieter-Steph du Toit captains the Springboks in the first Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test, with Damian de Allende earning his 100th cap.
Paulse, Aplon and Russell on why the Boks-All Blacks rivalry hits different
Paulse, Aplon and Russell revisit their All Blacks battles and explain why the greatest rivalry in rugby has the feel of a Hollywood blockbuster — worth a read ahead of the next Bok-NZ clash.
Roigard, Jordan and McKenzie pass fit for All Blacks' Johannesburg Test
Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie shake off injury concerns to feature in the All Blacks' lineup for the first Springbok Test in Johannesburg.
Fitzpatrick: Beating the Boks in South Africa in '96 tops everything — including the World Cup
Fitzpatrick rates the 1996 series win in South Africa above his World Cup triumph, calling it his greatest achievement — and his advice to the current All Blacks chasing the same feat against the Boks is blunt: be relentless, or pay for every mistake.
Wiese tops Planet Rugby's world eight rankings — with Hanekom cracking the top 10
Planet Rugby puts Wiese at the top of the global eight rankings, with Hanekom cracking the top 10 — the piece makes a strong structural argument for why Wiese is the foundation the entire Bok system is built on.
The breakdown battle that will decide the Boks-ABs opener happens before anyone reaches the ball
The piece argues the Boks-ABs breakdown battle is decided at the moment of tackle and post length — not at the jackal — and dismantles five widely held myths about how the contest actually works, with sharp analysis of both sides' structural approaches and what Carley's refereeing is likely to reward.
Kitshoff flags slow-start risk and scrum stakes for Boks at Ellis Park
Kitshoff backs the Boks but flags a slow-start risk from heavy rotation and limited combination time, while predicting an all-or-nothing scrum battle that could define the series opener at Ellis Park.
Erasmus flags All Black breakdown brutality as Boks brace for Ellis Park opener
Erasmus has publicly flagged the All Blacks' breakdown aggression and multi-phase attack as his biggest concerns ahead of Saturday's Test, while also taking a shot at World Rugby's new referee access rules.
Alexander calls for RGR tour rethink: drop midweek games, use SA Cup teams against All Blacks
SARU President Mark Alexander says midweek provincial games against the All Blacks don't work and will push for SA Cup or Country Districts composite sides to be used in any future RGR tour, while warning that rugby's failure to agree on a global season remains the sport's most pressing structural problem.
The hunter becomes the hunted: why this Bok-All Black series feels different
Rich argues the Boks enter the RGR series in genuinely unfamiliar territory — as the hunted, not the hunter — and that a series defeat would feel like a burst bubble rather than a noble near-miss. He covers the no-tie-breaker ruling, the Champions Cup vs Super Rugby quality gap, and draws on the 1992 tour to frame South Africa's own past insularity against what he sees as a similar blind spot in New Zealand now.
Kieran Read flags Argentina's blueprint as a Bok-beater for the All Blacks
Read points to Argentina's Buenos Aires performance as a potential blueprint for cracking the Springboks' rush defence — the piece unpacks what that means for the All Blacks.
Kieran Read flags Argentina's blueprint as a Bok defensive cheat code for the All Blacks
Read identifies Argentina's Buenos Aires game plan as a potential roadmap for dismantling the Boks' rush defence — the piece breaks down the tactical specifics.
Wiese tops Planet Rugby's number eight rankings, with Hanekom also making the cut
Wiese tops Planet Rugby's global eight rankings on the strength of his gainline dominance, with Hanekom at nine after a breakthrough Rugby Championship. The full piece ranks all 10 with detailed statistical and analytical breakdowns.
Rassie flags All Black breakdown brutality as primary Test concern
Erasmus singles out All Black breakdown brutality and their kick-from-phases combo as the Boks' biggest concern heading into Saturday's Ellis Park opener, while flagging set-piece surprises Rennie held back during the Nations Championship.
From the Invincibles to Paris: Five matches that define rugby's greatest rivalry
Jan de Koning profiles five landmark Springbok–All Black clashes to frame the start of Saturday's Rugby Championship series at Ellis Park — tracing the rivalry's historical arc and noting how decisively it has swung toward South Africa since 2018.
Teichmann tips 3-1 Bok series win — and he knows what's at stake
Teichmann, who captained the Boks in the famous 1996 series loss, picks South Africa to win the upcoming four-Test Greatest Rugby Rivalry series 3-1, citing Erasmus's squad depth as the decisive edge over the side that handed him one of his biggest career disappointments.
The hunter becomes the hunted: why this Bok-AB series feels different
Gavin Rich argues the Boks enter the RGR series as the hunted rather than the hunters — and that losing to New Zealand now carries far heavier psychological weight than it once did, with Super Rugby insularity potentially working against the Kiwis the way isolation once hurt South Africa.
Kirwan accuses Erasmus of instructing franchises to avoid Springbok tactics
Former All Blacks wing John Kirwan has claimed Rassie Erasmus told South African provincial sides to play nothing like the Springboks during New Zealand's tour matches. The All Blacks legend suggested the directive was designed to deny the tourists proper preparation ahead of the Test series.
Alexander wants midweek games axed and composite teams introduced if SA hosts RGR Tour again
SARU President Mark Alexander wants midweek provincial games scrapped and composite teams introduced if South Africa hosts another RGR Tour, citing a 14,000-crowd in Durban and poor Lions ticket sales as evidence that the current format does not work outside of Test weekends.
Kirwan's conspiracy: Did Erasmus instruct franchises to play nothing like the Boks?
Kirwan claims Erasmus quietly instructed franchises to abandon Springbok-style play, leaving the All Blacks underprepared for the Test series. Matfield disagrees on both the conspiracy and the crowd disappointment.