Aotearoa Rugby Pod

The Greatest Rivalry is almost here—but are the All Blacks genuinely ready to beat the Springboks in South Africa?

Ross Karl, James Parsons and Bryn Hall compare the two sides after the July internationals and ask whether the contest is now as close as 50–50. They examine South Africa’s remarkable depth, the return of New Zealand’s attacking DNA and the tactical areas that could decide the series.

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Picking the All Blacks’ match-day 23 for South Africa just got seriously difficult.

In this excerpt from the podcast, the panel examines Tupou Vaa’i’s impact at blindside flanker, the fight for places in the loose forwards and whether a 6–2 bench could help New Zealand match the Springboks’ physicality.

They also assess the All Blacks’ depth across the field, the growing reliance on Cam Roigard and Ruben Love’s remarkably assured start at Test level.

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Unbeaten in the Nations Championship, the All Blacks and Springboks are now on a collision course for the Greatest Rivalry Tour.

Aotearoa Rugby Pod unpacks the All Blacks’ impressive 40-21 victory over Ireland and the attacking identity emerging under Dave Rennie. What does “continuity plus brutality” mean, why has New Zealand’s ball retention improved, and can its high-tempo approach succeed in South Africa?

Plus, the panel analyses the rise of Tupou Vaa’i at blindside, Ardie Savea’s captaincy, the All Blacks’ improving aerial game and the growing influence of Cam Roigard and Ruben Love.

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Audio of ARP's Youtube Live after Dave Rennie's press conference for his team naming v Ireland.

Please excuse the audio. We'll upgrade our home microphones soon.

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All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i joins the Aotearoa Rugby Pod ahead of the clash with Ireland at Eden Park.

Tupou opens up about becoming one of the All Blacks’ biggest on-field menaces and how Brodie Retallick inspired it.

He also explains why there is “no hiding anymore” in the new All Blacks regime and how Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan inspired one of his Super Rugby tries.

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