In episode 6 of our special series on the fierce rivalry between rugby’s superpowers, the sport is hurtling into the professional era. South Africa are world champions after 1995 but New Zealand are on the verge of one of their greatest moments. We hear from John Hart, who led the All Blacks on their 1996 tour of South Africa, as well as former players Sean Fitzpatrick, Ian Jones and Josh Kronfeld.&nbsp; Was theirs the greatest New Zealand side of all time? Plus, former Springbok Joel Stransky describes the team’s struggle to replicate the dizzying heights of ‘95.&nbsp; This podcast was produced and edited by Alfie Reynolds, with help from Hope Federico, Rob Wallace, Jamie Wall and David Whisson.&nbsp; Read more: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/sport/rugby-union/article/springboks-all-blacks-1921-76-rugbys-greatest-rivalry-5rpjghxpf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rugby’s Greatest Rivals: Springboks v All Blacks&nbsp;</a>Clips: DSPN Rugby (John Hart interview)Photo: Getty Images <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Greatest Rivalry: Is this New Zealand's ultimate test?

The Ruck is the journalists' rugby podcast from The Times &amp; The Sunday Times.Join Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe, Will Kelleher and a selection of guests every week as they provide insight and reports throughout the season, including big-name interviews and forthright analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.