The first week of the knock out stages of the 2015 Rugby World Cup pulled off a few surprises with Argentina forcing an upset against the Irish whilst Australia was forced to pull off the great escape against Scotland. Continue reading for our Rugby World Cup semi-finals Preview and Betting Tips.
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New Zealand vs South Africa (Sunday 2am AEST)
A semi-final match up that is fit for a final has the defending champions up against the previous champions. The All Blacks have the upper hand in recent history as their dominance against the rest of the world includes the Springboks as they have won 11 of their last 13 meetings with the South Africans.
The All Blacks will enter the match in great form after pulling off the biggest ever recorded victory in the knock out stages of the tournament after they demolished the French by 49 points. The French were known as the “bogey” side but the result never looked in doubt as the New Zealanders ran their opposition off the park. They were the better team in all departments of the game and especially at the breakdown where they managed to constantly have superior numbers and never looked as if they were going to turn the ball over whilst they constantly were slowing down the ruck of the French or earning a turnover or penalty. They will be looking to do the same to the South Africans on Sunday morning and the Springboks will need to match the numbers at the breakdown or they will be in for a long night.
They have been able to bounce back strongly since they were defeated by Japan in their opening match of the tournament in what will likely go down in history in the biggest upset of the Rugby World Cup. However, it took them until the final minutes to defeat Wales in their quarterfinal match up and if they put on a similar performance against the All Blacks then they will be wiped off the park. New Zealand will be too strong and reach the final but South Africa will keep within reach of the defending champions.
TIP: All Blacks 1-12 @ $2.50 with Palmerbet
Australia vs Argentina (Monday 2.30am AEST)
The Wallabies had looked nearly perfect heading into their quarterfinal match against Scotland but that all came crashing down as they lost the scrum battle, they were out muscled at the breakdown and constantly made schoolboy errors that had seemingly been removed from their game. However, a lot of that can be linked with them missing their two best players in David Pocock and Israel Folau. Pocock’s prescence on the field and constant threat at the breakdown was greatly missed as the Australian’s rarely forced a turnover and the Bravehearts had the upper hand in this area. His return should also improve the performance of his partner in crime Michael Hooper as the opposition will have two players to worry about at the breakdown and Hooper will be able to play his natural game. Folau was missed in attack as he often attracts two or three defenders to bring him down and when he returns a kick he easily picks up 20-30m which puts the Wallabies immediately on the front foot whilst the tired forwards don’t have to retreat as far which keeps them a little fresher throughout the match.
Meanwhile the Pumas were dominant in their upset victory against the Irish in their 43-20 win. Their attack was spot on and they were perfect at all the key areas required throughout the match. Their ability to stop the Ireland from ticking the scoreboard over was instrumental in their win as they were well disciplined. They will need to keep that up to stand a chance against the Australians. History favours the Green and Gold as they have won 18 of the 24 matches with their latest meeting being a 34-9 victory for the Australians in the Rugby Championship earlier in the year.
The near loss to Scotland will be a massive wake up call for the Wallabies and with Pocock and Folau back in the line-up the Australians should win by a comfortable margin.
TIP: Wallabies -6.5 @ $1.92 with Sportsbet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
