The final round of the 2019 Rugby Championship is upon us and we will find out by Saturday evening whether New Zealand were able to retain the title or not. Here is what I expect from the final round…
Australia vs New Zealand (Saturday @ 09:35) – Perth
New Zealand still have a decent shot of retaining their Rugby Championship title. For this to happen they probably need to beat the Aussies with a bonus point to put themselves in with a good shout. The All Blacks have come off a narrow survival effort in Buenos Aires with an experimental team and a stale mate with the Springboks in Wellington.
Australia entered the Rugby Championships with plenty of questions around their best combinations and Cheika might not have really had many of those answered. The Aussie coach has settled on a loose trio of Salakaia-Loto, Hooper and Naisarani – these three were solid against Argentina but will be well and truly tested against some of the best in the business. Bernard Foley has also fallen out of favour and Lealiifano is now one performance away form securing the starting 10 spot. Big news for this game is the inclusion of James O’Connor at outside centre. There should be no shortage of motivation from the home side as clearly there is still plenty to play for for a number of their players.
Verdict: Hansen has finally shown his hand by selecting what he believes to be his best available team at this stage. The coach has been very clear about his plans and how he is striving for his team to peak at the right stage of the year. He has also made no bones about the fact that his team is targeting the Bledisloe Cup as their most important pre-World Cup target. The big question is whether this last statement means they don’t really target the bonus point. Regardless, I expect the Kiwis to come out firing. Over the past 12 to 18 months the men in black have slowly lost a bit of their invincibility aura and they need to now take the first step to getting themselves back at their best for the Rugby World Cup in a few months’ time – Wallabies BEWARE!
BETOLIMP Value Bet: New Zealand to beat the alternative cap of -18.5 @ 2.58
BETOLIMP Best Bet: NZ to beat the half time handicap of -5.5 @ 1.70
Special Bet: First Tryscorer – Ardie Savea @ 21.50 with BETOLIMP
Argentina vs South Africa (Saturday @ 21:40) – Salta
The Argentines gave the All Blacks a good scare but then proceeded to put in a disappointing effort in Australia. Ladesma is sure to have his team well up for this one as they strive to ensure some good momentum going into the World Cup. A strong looking Argentine team will run out with a mission in front of what will no doubt be a very partisan crowd baying for blood. The Springboks have pretty much ticked all the boxes thus far. Erasmus gave his extended squad a run and they didn’t let him down against Australia. His more preferred combinations then stuck it to NZ for 40 minutes and kept their composure to secure the draw in the end. Now the Bok coach will look at claiming the confidence building Rugby Championship trophy to complete the perfect World Cup tune up.
Verdict: Springbok fans are expecting nothing less than a win and the Rugby Championship trophy from their team. The advantage for the men in green and gold is that they will know exactly what they need to do by the time they kick off in Salta. Regardless of the points difference or possible bonus point they may require it could prove to be difficult enough just getting the win in South America. I’m expecting an emotional and fully charged up Los Pumas team to push the South Africans all the way.
BETOLIMP Value Bet: Argentina to lead at half time but SA to win the game – Arg/SA @ 5.19
BETOLIMP Best Bet: Argentina to win the first half @ 2.57
Special Bet: First Tryscorer – Creevy @ 24.50 with BETOLIMP
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
Couch Critic
