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AnalysisGeneral

All Blacks Player Ratings: Cape Town's Costly Errors Dissected

Bester's player-by-player breakdown of the Cape Town test makes the case that New Zealand's loss was self-inflicted — enough tries and opportunities to win, but critical individual errors at front row, lineout and breakdown proved decisive.

Rugby365
AnalysisSpringboks

Cape Town Test ratings: De Allende leads the way as Boks level the series

Sawula's player-by-player ratings from the Cape Town Test pick out De Allende as the unlucky man of the match, flag Steenekamp's scrum struggles and Hooker's costly error, and make the case that Marx's cameo was pivotal — all relevant context heading into the series decider in Soweto.

Rugby365
ReportSpringboks

Boks level series with 33-26 win at DHL Stadium as late front-row switch pays off

South Africa beat New Zealand 33-26 at DHL Stadium to level the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, with Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi leading a much-improved defensive performance and Jesse Kriel crossing for an early try, before a series decider at FNB Stadium.

SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

Cape Town corrections: How Erasmus's tinkering turned the series around

The piece argues that Erasmus's five pre-match changes — and their precise deployment — were the decisive factor in Cape Town, correcting the tactical and structural errors that cost the Boks in Johannesburg and pointing to clear All Black vulnerabilities ahead of the Soweto decider.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

Boks level the series with trademark ferocity — but All Blacks aren't done

South Africa levelled the Rugby Championship series 1-1 with a 33-26 win over New Zealand, recovering from last week's performance with a more typical display of power and forward dominance. The All Blacks' late rally means confidence is far from one-sided ahead of the decider in Johannesburg.

The Guardian Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Springboks hold on to level series as All Blacks again win try count

The Springboks beat New Zealand 33-26 in Cape Town to level the four-match series at 1-1, with Cheslin Kolbe kicking 18 points and the lineout proving decisive despite another strong All Black finish.

TimesLIVE Rugby · The Guardian Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Springboks level Greatest Rivalry series and reclaim world No 1 with Cape Town win over All Blacks

The Springboks beat the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium to level the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series and move back to world No 1.

SA Rugby Mag · SA Rugby Magazine
ReportSpringboks

Boks lead All Blacks 24-14 at half-time in Cape Town Test

The Springboks lead New Zealand 24-14 at half-time in the Cape Town Test, with tries from Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende and Siya Kolisi and nine points from the boot of Cheslin Kolbe.

Springboks.Rugby (Official)
ReportSpringboks

SA Rugby pursues legal action against travel agencies over Cape Town ticket fraud

SA Rugby has turned the matter of fraudulent ticket sales for the Cape Town Greatest Rivalry Test over to its attorneys, after travel agencies sold tickets they had no authorisation to provide and then falsely attributed the failures to SARU.

Planet Rugby
ReportGeneral

Kolisi returns to lead Springboks in Cape Town decider after injury setback

Siya Kolisi has recovered from his latest hamstring injury to captain South Africa in the second Test against New Zealand at DHL Stadium. The 35-year-old flanker missed the opening defeat at Ellis Park but insists the mental challenge of rehabilitation was tougher than the physical recovery. Kolisi will lead a side desperate to level the series after a 16–33 loss in Johannesburg.

The Guardian Rugby · Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Du Toit reaches 100 caps as Springboks seek Rugby Championship redemption against All Blacks

Pieter-Steph du Toit wins his 100th cap and Ox Nche his 50th as the Springboks face the All Blacks in the second Test, looking to level the series after a 16-33 defeat in Johannesburg last week.

The Guardian Rugby
ReportSpringboks

SA Rugby pursues legal action against fraudulent ticket resellers ahead of Springbok-All Blacks Test

SA Rugby is pursuing legal action against travel agencies that sold tickets to the DHL Stadium Test they never had access to, then falsely blamed SA Rugby when fans were left without entry.

Springboks.Rugby (Official) · Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

Friends at church, enemies on the field: Kolisi and Savea on their rivalry

Kolisi and Savea's church outing two weeks ago was no PR stunt — the two captains have built a real friendship around faith and family, not rugby. The piece unpacks how that relationship coexists with genuine on-field intensity, with both men framing the Cape Town Test as a chance to honour that respect by competing at their absolute best.

Rugby365
ReportSpringboks

Pollard in tears after calf injury forces late withdrawal ahead of All Blacks Test Two

Handré Pollard is out of the Cape Town Test with a calf injury sustained in Wednesday training, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starting and Manie Libbok returning to the bench. Cheslin Kolbe also replaces Kurt-Lee Arendse after passing his fitness test.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisGeneral

Aaron Smith: Rennie's honesty is refreshing — but the Boks will be a different beast in Cape Town

Smith praises Rennie's refreshing candour while tempering the Ellis Park result — he expects a tighter, more dangerous Springbok side in Cape Town and thinks New Zealand left real points out there through the boot.

Planet Rugby · The Guardian Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

Dan Carter backs Feinberg-Mngomezulu to handle the heat in Cape Town

Dan Carter has publicly backed Feinberg-Mngomezulu to step up in the second Test at Cape Town Stadium — the piece unpacks his reasoning.

SA Rugby Mag
ReportSpringboks

Du Toit targets century milestone as Springboks seek to break All Blacks curse

Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th Springbok centurion when he runs out against New Zealand at DHL Stadium on Saturday, but history weighs heavily. Four previous Boks reached 100 caps against the All Blacks — Percy Montgomery, John Smit, Jean de Villiers and Damian de Allende — and all four lost. The two-time World Player of the Year now has the chance to reverse that trend in a match South Africa must win to keep the inaugural Greatest Rivalry series alive.

SuperSport Rugby · Rugby365
ReportSpringboks

Pollard injury hands Feinberg-Mngomezulu second chance in Cape Town decider

Handré Pollard's withdrawal through a training niggle has forced Rassie Erasmus into a late reshuffle for Saturday's second Test against New Zealand at DHL Stadium. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu returns at fly-half despite struggling in last week's 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park. The 24-year-old's recall shifts the Springboks away from the set-piece orthodoxy Erasmus had signalled and injects uncertainty into a must-win fixture.

The Guardian Rugby · Rugby365
AnalysisSpringboks

Kirwan: Don't buy the underdog act — but the Boks are under real pressure in Cape Town

Kirwan rejects Rassie's underdog framing and turns it around: the pressure is on the world champions to respond in Cape Town. He expects a tighter, more conservative Bok approach but sees a few decisive moments — not a margin — settling the series.

Rugby365
AnalysisSpringboks

Du Toit's century clash: can he break the All Blacks curse?

Du Toit becomes only the 11th Springbok centurion on Saturday, but four predecessors lost to the All Blacks on their 100th cap. Matfield dismisses the 'curse' as a media narrative and draws on his own milestone experience to argue team-first focus is what breaks the pattern.

Rugby365