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New Zealand vs South Africa Prediction & Betting Tips - The Rugby Championship
by Devesh Jaganath in Rugby Predictions
World number three New Zealand will take on South Africa, who are ranked just one spot behind them, in the second round of the 2023 World Rugby Championship on Saturday. New Zealand will face Australia in their third and final match of the competition while the Springboks will face Argentina. The All Blacks got their tournament off to a perfect start as they demolished the Pumas 41-12 in Mendoza last weekend. They dominated their opposition in every aspect and found themselves going into the break with a commanding 31-0 lead. While the Argentines did show some fight in the second half, it was too little too late as the mighty All Blacks scored an incredible seven tries and converted three of them. They now face a Springbok side that they only narrowly edged to the title last year courtesy of a single bonus point. New Zealand won the last encounter between the sides at Ellis Park last year and have not lost to South Africa in Auckland in their last eight meetings. They are carrying the favourites tag into the match but will know that they are in for a much more difficult test in this one.
Meanwhile, the Springboks were equally, if not even more, impressive in their opening match against the Wallabies. South Africa romped to a 43-12 win in that match, led by Kurt-Lee Arendse, who scored three tries in the match and took his tally to an excellent 10 tries in his first eight matches in national colours. The Springboks were awarded two penalty tries as they bullied the front row of the Wallabies while they also outperformed their opposition in terms of carries and line breaks across the 80 minutes. The major talking point in the build-up has been Jacques Nienaber’s decision to employ a split-squad tactic in this tournament. The South African boss has saved most of his best players for this encounter while his opponents traveled to South America and back. South Africa did beat the All Blacks a week before they lost at Ellis Park last season, and with the World Cup now within touching distance, they will be eager to get a psychological edge over this opponent.
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New Zealand vs South Africa Form
New Zealand and South Africa's standings in the The Rugby Championship
| Teams | Pts | P | W | D | L | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
13 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
|
2
|
9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
New Zealand and South Africa Last Matches
3/6 (50%)
1/6 (17%)
2/6 (33%)
8 Jul 2023 - The Rugby Championship
19 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
13 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
5 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
16 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
9 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
4/6 (67%)
0/6 (0%)
2/6 (33%)
16 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
9 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
2 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
1 Nov 2019 - Rugby World Cup
19 Oct 2019 - Rugby World Cup
2 Oct 2019 - Rugby World Cup
3/6 (50%)
1/6 (17%)
2/6 (33%)
8 Jul 2023 - The Rugby Championship
19 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
13 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
5 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
20 Nov 2021 - Test Matchs
13 Nov 2021 - Test Matchs
4/6 (67%)
0/6 (0%)
2/6 (33%)
8 Jul 2023 - The Rugby Championship
26 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
19 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
12 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
5 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
16 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
5/6 (83%)
0/6 (0%)
1/6 (17%)
8 Jul 2023 - The Rugby Championship
16 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
9 Jul 2022 - Test Matchs
8 Oct 2019 - Rugby World Cup
4 Oct 2019 - Rugby World Cup
28 Sep 2019 - Rugby World Cup
3/6 (50%)
0/6 (0%)
3/6 (50%)
26 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
19 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
12 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
5 Nov 2022 - Test Matchs
20 Nov 2021 - Test Matchs
6 Nov 2021 - Test Matchs
New Zealand vs South Africa Stats: Head to Head (H2H)
21 Sep 2019 - Rugby World Cup
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New Zealand - South Africa Key Points
- South Africa have won two of the last three encounters against New Zealand
- South Africa rested most of their players last week, while New Zealand took their full squad to Argentina and back
- South Africa are the current world champions
- Three of the last four matches between these sides have ended with a deficit of less than seven points
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Our New Zealand vs South Africa Prediction
There is very little to choose between these powerhouse nations, and the bookies can’t seem to split them by much either. The hosts come into this match as the marginal favourites, but that will mainly be down to it being a home fixture. Based on their previous fixtures, the Springboks were arguably a little more impressive in their all-round performance, and we can see them keeping this very tight. It would come as no surprise if they even won the encounter. Therefore, our New Zealand vs South Africa prediction: Handicap South Africa +6.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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