Overview
- The four‑Test series is tied 1-1 ahead of the third Test at FNB Stadium on Saturday, with the winner taking a 2-1 lead before the final match in Baltimore.
- All Blacks coach Dave Rennie publicly raised concerns about South African scrummaging after the Cape Town Test and both teams say they have shared issues with match officials.
- New Zealand have reshaped their front row for the decider, with George Bower starting at loosehead prop to test the Springboks’ scrum and counter the set-piece battle.
- Referee appointments remain under scrutiny: Georgian official Nika Amashukeli is named for Soccer City after a late swap involving Angus Gardner in Cape Town, increasing attention on how scrums and the breakdown will be policed.
- The Springbok Women will play a high‑profile curtain‑raiser at FNB Stadium under co‑coaches Laurian Johannes‑Haupt and Franzel September following Swys de Bruin’s departure, with 11 starters from their 2025 World Cup quarter‑final kept for continuity.