Episode 329: Monstering Mo'unga - An Official RGR Series Victory

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is finally over, and the Springboks have completed an historic inaugural series win over the All Blacks. Phil, Ant and Dick look back on the final test and the series as a whole, as South Africa once again found a way to close out a game that felt much closer on the scoreboard than it did on the field. The Springbok bench made another huge impact, the backline survived yet another round of injuries, and the panel discusses the impressive performances of players including Hanekom, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Morne van den Berg and Pieter-Steph du Toit. The boys then take a broader look at the series and ask just how big the gulf between the two teams really was. Despite New Zealand remaining competitive until the final stages of almost every test, South Africa controlled most of the important areas of the game — while the All Blacks' struggles at scrum, lineout and aerial ball remained throughout the tour. The panel also questions the increasingly defensive reaction from the New Zealand coaching staff, particularly their tendency to blame refereeing and other external factors rather than looking at their own performance. And then it's awards season. The boys pick their moment, try, tackle, flop, find and player of the series, with plenty of love for Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Malcolm Marx and Morne van den Berg — alongside a few less flattering awards for New Zealand, Angus Gardner and the tournament's rather questionable promotion. Plus the return of Richie Mo'unga, whether the All Blacks' hype got a little ahead of reality, the unfortunate state of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry social media operation, and why three wins from four still somehow wasn't quite as comfortable as it should have been. Music by @monstroid, 80s TV Show.