Springboks seal 3-1 series over All Blacks — SkimNews
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- South Africa won the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 over New Zealand, losing the opener at Ellis Park before claiming three straight Tests, including a 43-28 victory in the fourth and final match in Baltimore
- The Springboks reverted to their forward-power formula — a decisive maul try by Malcolm Marx and a first-half penalty try from a scrum — after being outscored in tries through the first two Tests, preventing a repeat of New Zealand's 1996 series win in South Africa
- New Zealand stunned the world champions 33-16 in the opening Test at Ellis Park under new coach Dave Rennie, who replaced Scott Robertson after his January dismissal, with half-backs Cam Roigard and Ruben Love (both 25) driving a return to free-flowing rugby that produced four-plus tries per Test in South Africa
- Richie Mo'unga, returning from a Japan stint for the Baltimore Test — his first since the 2023 World Cup final — fell below his previous standard, leaving the All Blacks with 12 months to rebuild his form
- Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (24) started all four Tests after recovering from a late-May injury but lacked his "usual flashes of individual brilliance," leaving open whether South Africa turn back to 32-year-old Handre Pollard in big games
- France were identified by 2019 World Cup winner Schalk Brits as the only other team able to "play multiple styles," while Ireland were flagged as a dark horse travelling "under the radar" — a weakened France lost 34-32 to New Zealand in Christchurch in July
- Rassie Erasmus' veteran core — Siya Kolisi (35), Eben Etzebeth (34), Pieter-Steph du Toit (34), Damian de Allende (34), Malcolm Marx (32) and Cheslin Kolbe (32) — remain regular starters, keeping alive the possibility of three straight World Cup titles
Why it matters: With the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia under a year away, the series proved South Africa can still flip back to forward-power rugby when their expansive game stalls — but the 33-16 Ellis Park loss exposed a vulnerability when an opponent matches their physical intensity. New Zealand's transition under Rennie, with Roigard and Love pulling the strings and Mo'unga to be rebuilt, signals a credible challenger if the 32-year-old fly-half regains his 2023 form.
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