A second half masterclass earned New Zealand a breathtaking 16-33 victory in the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. The script was going about as expected in the first half, with the teams trading blows for a 13-12 South Africa lead. While the Springboks looked composed and happy to take any points on offer in that opening 40, the visitors’ attack was causing some issues, while Jordie Barrett saved the day defensively with a try-saving tackle on Malcolm Marx. From there, however, it was largely one-way traffic, with the All Blacks producing a couple of game-changing plays, starting with Fabian…

The first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is finally here, with South Africa hosting New Zealand at the storied Ellis Park. Two old foes lock horns at one of the world’s most famous rugby grounds, with plenty of intrigue being built ahead of the series opener. South Africa have had a good 2026 so far, starting with a breeze of a victory over the Barbarians. That 80-31 win two months ago set the tone for what has been a thrilling run of attacking rugby from Rassie Erasmus’ team. In their three Nations Championship home games, points continued to be free-flowing…

New Zealand did what they needed to do last Saturday, getting past Italy 47-17 on Saturday. It looked like the All Blacks’ Wellington woes were going to continue in the first half, as the Italians struck in the opening minutes through Tommaso Menoncello, seeing New Zealand concede very early on in consecutive weeks. A try to Will Jordan at the half-hour mark put NZ up 14-10, and that was the scoreline heading into the break on the back of a very unconvincing opening 40 from the hosts, but they kicked into gear in the second half. It started, as it…

New Zealand’s rein under Dave Rennie got off to a winning start, toppling France 34-32 in the opening round of the Nations Championship. Against a weakened Les Bleus 23, the All Blacks would have been wanting a much more comfortable victory, as the visitors made things interesting with a late try trimming the margin to just two points. The All Blacks kept their cool, though, keeping possession in the final couple of minutes to close out the bonus-point win in Christchurch, capping off what was a very entertaining contest. Ruben Love was dished a yellow card and New Zealand conceded…

New Zealand begin their 2026 with a clash against one of their biggest rivals, as France return to Aotearoa after a three-game series here last year. There was some controversy and disappointment in the lead-up to 2025’s series, as Fabien Galthié was forced to leave a slew of his first-string players at home due to the competing interests of their Top 14 clubs and it’s a similar situation again for the opening week of the July internationals. Among a few significant changes heading into the July fixtures is a complete rehaul of the Southern Hemisphere’s internationals, with the Rugby Championship…