Ex-All Black: Greatest Rivalry tour make-or-break for current New Zealand squad

For the first time since 1996, New Zealand will tour South Africa for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry, facing not only the Springboks but also the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions. 

After three Tests in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the two sides will meet at an international venue to complete the four-match series.

Ex-loose forward Mexted believes that this will be the real litmus test for the All Blacks before the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, but also provides Robertson and his staff with the opportunity to develop the squad.

When asked on the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin, whether New Zealand could topple the back-to-back World Cup winners in South Africa, Mexted replied: "I'll just qualify it, winning that series will give us a hell of a lot more chance of winning the Rugby World Cup.

"This will be fantastic for Razor to be able to develop and start polishing the team for the Rugby World Cup because of the difference between playing at altitude and at sea level. [Two at altitude] is in itself a challenge for everybody."

The 72-year-old wasn't pleased by the performances of the All Blacks in 2025, but believes that they can turn things around in the build-up to the World Cup if they can get results in South Africa.

He adds that the team needs to get back to winning consistently and believes that jobs will be on the line during Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour, but did not specify whether it would be the coaches or players.

"So, it's going to be a great experience, and it's going to be a great way of developing our best All Backs side," he said.

"This is a great way of developing a team mantra because every game is going to be very difficult, and it will expose the strengths and the weaknesses within this group of players and also possibly within the group of selectors and coaches, because I mean, their jobs are on the line too, because this would be the hardest challenge.

"I sense Razor is a good learner, a quick learner, but hopefully, he and his band of men, which is much smaller now, have learned a hell of a lot in the last two years, and now is the time to bar up. If you don't bar up, you come second.

"Particularly, the way the game has moved, where any team can beat any team, the result is influenced by the referee as well."

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