The Rugby Championship has had an exciting start as the All Blacks have continued their dominance against the Wallabies whilst the Pumas and Springboks exchanged victories. Continue reading for our 2016 Rugby Championship Preview and Betting Tips.
- - -
New Zealand vs Argentina (Saturday 5.35pm AEST)
The All Blacks have showed they mean business this Rugby Championship as they have put the Wallabies to the sword in their opening two games. They haven’t taken a step backwards despite the turn over of players since their 2015 Rugby World Cup victory. Their set piece has been near perfect and they managed to get over the advantage line with ease. Beauden Barrett has been a stand out in the fly half position as his creative and flamboyant play has been crucial in the All Blacks scoring points. Barrett is very quick for a fly half and this allows him to keep the defence in two minds, as they need to be careful of him taking on the line whilst he can also find the right man with a bullet like pass.
The Pumas will be very pleased with their start to the Rugby Championship but they will be rueing what could have been if they were able to hold on to their lead in South Africa. The Argentinians were by far the better side in the contest as they earned their second victory ever against the Springboks. They had a bit of luck go their way as the South Africans uncharacteristically missed a lot of penalty opportunities but the better side won on the day. However, the task to defeat the All Blacks is far too high, however in recent history the Pumas have proved difficult to beat against the New Zealand side and we are backing them at the line.
TIP: Argentina +24.5 @ $1.90 with CrownBet
Australia vs South Africa (Saturday 8.05pm AEST)
The Wallabies have had a disastrous start to their 2016 Rugby Championship and the media has already begun to call out the coach and certain players. However, it needs to be recognised that the side is forced to face the best side in the world without a warm up. They will have learned a lot from the two disappointing losses and they should be an improved side this weekend. Injuries to key players haven’t helped the Wallabies chances but their own ill discipline and inability to complete their set pieces and set moves has been their downfall. The side is looking old in certain positions and it beginning to look like captain Stephen Moore’s days are numbered as he was picked off at the line out whilst he was ineffective around the field.
The Springboks had possibly their worst opening 40-minutes in recent history against Argentina and the scoreboard favoured them. They were in a position to win the game late but rightfully came out on the wrong end. They were lucky the week before to earn the victory on home soil and they can count themselves lucky they didn’t lose both matches. Their game plan of constant box kicks wasn’t going to plan and they made adjustments in the second half, which almost paid dividends. Kicking to the Wallabies definitely isn’t the way to beat them, as it will just give Israel Folau more opportunities with the ball in his hands. Both sides are clearly out of form and the home field advantage should swing the match in the favour of the Wallabies.
TIP: Australia 1-12 @ $2.65 with William Hill
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!
