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Fifty years of hurt: The Boks' series drought against the All Blacks in context
The Boks haven't won an official series against the All Blacks since 1976 — Rich traces the full 50-year drought through the flour-bomb chaos of 1981, the 1996 Fitzpatrick landmark, and the unofficial wins that don't count, framing the four-test Greatest Rivalry Series as the first real opportunity to break it.
Two-piece magnetic trophy unveiled for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series
SA Rugby and New Zealand Rugby have unveiled a split, magnetic two-piece trophy for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, with the winner of the four-Test tour taking both halves and each nation retaining one if the series is drawn.
Five areas where the All Blacks must hold their ground at Ellis Park
A five-point tactical brief on what the All Blacks must execute at Ellis Park — covering the scrum, the aerial contest, breakdown discipline, entry denial and slow starts — built around the argument that New Zealand's route is survival in the mass contests, then winning the execution battles.
Umaga breaks ranks: All Blacks know the Boks are far more than a scrum machine
Tana Umaga has quietly undermined the All Blacks' 'Boks are just a setpiece team' narrative, warning his players to respect South Africa's backline width, kicking game, and a coaching staff he expects to spring surprises at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Mary Zulu to captain SA Women 'A' on inaugural Brazil tour
Mary Zulu will captain the inaugural SA Women 'A' squad to Brazil for two matches in Sao Paulo on 24 and 29 August, with the touring party blending eight capped Springbok Women alongside Junior Springbok Women players and cross-code recruit Isabella Nel.
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry trophy unveiled in Johannesburg — two halves held together by magnets
A new trophy for the Springbok-All Black Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series was unveiled in Johannesburg on Wednesday — two magnetically joined aluminium halves, each representing one nation, with the winning side claiming both after the final Test in Baltimore on 12 September 2026. If the series is drawn, each union keeps one half.
Greatest Rivalry trophy revealed ahead of Springbok-All Black series
The bespoke Greatest Rivalry trophy — designed in two magnetic halves, with each nation retaining one should the series finish level — was unveiled in Johannesburg ahead of Saturday's series opener at Ellis Park.
Donald: The Erasmus-Rennie spat is about getting inside Carley's head
Stephen Donald reads the Erasmus-Peyper press conference gambit as calculated referee influence — flood Carley's mind with talk about time-wasting before he even blows the first whistle.
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry unveils split trophy held together by magnets
The Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series has revealed a world-first trophy split into two magnetic halves, symbolising the bond between the Springboks and All Blacks.
Through a 12-year-old's eyes: how Rassie became more than a coach
Twelve-year-old Joshua Fourie writes about how Rassie Erasmus inspired him to overcome adversity and keep dreaming of a Springbok future — a touching reader contribution worth a few minutes of your time.
All Blacks used fake injury breaks too — Dagg's admission reframes the go-slow debate
Dagg admits the All Blacks ran their own fake-injury 'KitKat' tactic, then reframes the go-slow debate as a refereeing problem rather than a Springbok one — with the breakdown and referee tolerance the key tactical battleground for the four-Test series.
Lakai braced for Ellis Park baptism as All Blacks take Bok benchmark seriously
Lakai has been picking the brains of All Blacks veterans ahead of his first crack at the Boks at Ellis Park, flagging set-piece dominance as the key battleground. Worth a read for insight into how the All Blacks are sizing up Saturday's opener.
SFM vs Love: The flyhalf battle that could define Ellis Park
With both coaches likely to start their preferred young 10s at Ellis Park, Ben Youngs and Anthony Watson break down the SFM vs Love matchup — finding them remarkably similar but giving SFM the edge as an individual running threat based on hard stats.
Series preview: The questions hanging over the Boks and All Blacks before Rugby's Greatest Rivalry
A multi-strand preview arguing that Rennie's tempo-based game plan, the scrum battle, Bok sharpness concerns, and referee interpretation at the breakdown will collectively determine the series — with the first Test flagged as South Africa's window of vulnerability.
Nick Evans: Where the Boks have grown beyond the basics — and where the All Blacks can hurt them
Evans rates the Boks' evolution beyond set-piece and kicking as genuinely significant, identifies unstructured moments as the series decider, and flags the All Blacks' punishing travel schedule as a real factor.
The racist policy that shaped 60 years of Springbok-All Black history
The Ruck's new documentary series argues that a racist off-field policy established during the 1921 tour shaped the Springbok-All Black rivalry for the next 60 years — essential listening as the two sides prepare to meet in a four-test series this year.
How the All Blacks voluntarily excluded Maori players to appease apartheid South Africa — long before apartheid was law
Jamie Wall argues the NZRU voluntarily excluded Maori players from Springbok tours decades before apartheid was formalised — a self-inflicted compromise that Wall describes as New Zealand 'engaging in apartheid themselves.'
Rob Louw: The flour-bomb plane changed the 1981 series — and opened South African eyes
Rob Louw recalls how the flour-bomb protest plane disrupted the decisive 1981 Test at Eden Park, and argues the tour's political fallout helped shift South African attitudes toward apartheid.
Fifty years without a series win: the weight of history on the Boks in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry
Gavin Rich maps the 50-year series drought the Boks carry into the Greatest Rivalry Series, tracing every official and unofficial series since 1976, the refereeing controversies woven through each, and why no Rugby Championship win fills the gap.
Dagg warming to Rassie while Stevenson calls out the 'strawman'
Israel Dagg says he's warming to Erasmus's media approach, but co-host Scotty Stevenson argues the Peyper press conference was a calculated strawman — deflecting from legitimate questions about in-play slowing tactics onto a set-piece timing argument the Boks could easily defend.