1
'The All Blacks are on fire': All Blacks vs South Africa preview
By Josh Raisey
The global rugby landscape changed over the weekend as the All Blacks returned to number one in the world rankings after a two-year hiatus with a 36-13 win over Argentina.
The win came just hours after South Africa lost their second match in a row to Australia, which now leaves Ian Foster's side ten points clear at the top of the Rugby Championship table with back-to-back matches between the world champions and world number ones now upon us.
When, where and how to watch the match
The match will kick-off at 19:05 (NZST) on Saturday September 25th at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville.
It will be broadcast on SKY Sport in New Zealand, Stan Sport in Australia, Supersport in South Africa, ESPN in South America and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Head-to-head
Saturday will be the 100th encounter between the two teams, with the All Blacks winning 59 matches and the Springboks winning 36 since their first meeting in 1921, with four draws. The All Blacks have won eight of the last ten matches between the two, although their last Rugby Championship Test ended in a 16-16 draw. The All Blacks won their last match, a pool stage clash in the 2019 World Cup, though South Africa went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Match odds from bet365
bet365 have the handicap on the All Blacks at -11, with 13/4 odds that Jacques Nienaber's Springboks win. There are also 28/1 odds of the two sides producing a draw, as they did in their last Rugby Championship encounter.
Use bonus code RUGBYPASS and Get Up to £100 in Bet Credits*
New customers only. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
Prediction
Following the All Blacks' impressive display against the Pumas on Saturday, South African journalist Mark Keohane said on Twitter that Foster's side are "on fire," with four bonus point wins from four.
However, he did not rule out a victory for the World Cup winners, but said it would be a case of "winning ugly" if they were going to get the victory. Though winning the Rugby Championship seems highly unlikely for South Africa, as they need to overturn a ten point deficit in the table and a points difference of 90, there is always a huge amount riding on this fixture and Saturday will be no different with the number one ranking at stake.
*Odds accurate as of 20/09/21. BeGambleAware.org 18+ Gamble Responsibly
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Stuart Lancaster takes giant stride towards immediate Racing 92 exit
3
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh on Joe Schmidt’s future post-Lions
4
Glasgow coach jumps to defence of McDowall who faces possible huge ban
5
Latest Comments
Get world rugby to buy a few Islands in the Mediterranean. Name them Rugby Island #1, #2, #3 etc. All teams are based there all season and as the knockouts progress, losers go home for a few months rest. Sell the TV rights to any and all.
Have an open ballot/lottery each week to fly fans out to fill the stadiums. They get to enter the draw if they pay their taxes and avoid crime which would encourage good social engagement from rugby supporters as responsible citizens. The school kids get in the draw if they are applying themselves at school and reaching their potential.
Or maybe there is some magic way to prioritise both domestic rugby and international rugby by having the same players playing for 12 months of the year...
Go to commentsPerhaps he would have been better off going under the knife earlier, rather than travelling to Europe to hold tackle bags.
Go to comments