Best Bets for International Rugby

International rugby is back and there is a lot of value if you look for it, luckily we’ve got you covered. Our punter Neal Hoogwerf is back this weekend and has his eyes set on a full house. We preview every international rugby match from the Springboks, All Blacks and Ireland.

Rainbow Cup SA Team of the Tournament

New Zealand v Tonga

Saturday 3 July – 10:05

The All Blacks come into the 2021 test arena off one of the most underwhelming periods in recent memory, where they only won 3 out of 6 test matches in the 2020 season. Ian Foster, picked ahead of the Crusaders favourite Razor Robertson, will be tasked with identifying his best XV as soon as possible. Tonga have struggled to put a team together after naming 13 debutants including players who are yet to play at the highest level of domestic rugby.

It is tough to see anything past a comprehensive New Zealand performance. From a Tongan perspective, they will be eager to disrupt the new combinations in the All Blacks side and force the fixture into an unstructured match. Couple the fact that the All Blacks beat a full-strength Tongan team by 85 points weeks out from RWC19, I’ll do siding with the All Blacks to add to the islanders’ woes.

Ireland v Japan

Saturday 3 July – 14:00

Ireland kicks off their international season by hosting Japan in Dublin. After losing their Lions cohort, Ireland have included 13 debutants in their 37-man squad for the mid-year test series. Flashbacks of the World Cup upset at the Shizuoka Stadium will be fresh in the Irish players’ minds as they look to set the marker for the 2021 season.

Top 10 Rainbow Cup SA Tries

Attacking coach Tony Brown will have a firm plan on how to approach Saturday’s fixture. Japan will look to move the ball and utilize their fast-attacking style to tire the big Irish forward pack. Japan, with last weekend’s fixture under the belt, will head into this match confident of an upset. The handicap has settled around the 11.5 mark and that is 5 points too high. Don’t rule out a Japanese upset.

South Africa v Georgia

Friday 2 July – 19:00

The first test match since the 32-12 World Cup triumph, the Springboks host Georgia in preparation for the first Lions test on the 24th of July. Naming his first side since taking over from Rassie Erasmus as head coach, Jacques Nienaber has selected two debutants in the starting team in the form of electric wingers Rosko Specman and Aphelele Fassi.

In all, 12 of the 23 selected were involved in the World Cup final, and surprisingly he has opted to return to the 5-3 bench split and putting the famed ‘Bomb Squad’ on ice ahead of the Lions tour. The unknown Georgian counterparts, famous for their strong set-piece, will be looking to disrupt any South African momentum. If this fixture was played at the coast, I would suggest a spirited Georgian display would favour the plus handicap backers, however, fear for the Georgian lungs in the last 20 minutes at altitude. The Springboks will be looking to sharpen their defence and put in a commanding display. I fancy the Boks to win comfortably here.

Maori All Blacks v Samoa

Saturday 3 July – 06:30

The Maori All Blacks will be looking to repeat their feats of last week when they take on Samoa in the curtain-raiser to the All Blacks v Tonga fixture. In what should have been a Pacific Island invitational XV to front the All Blacks, the Islanders have spread their resources in attempting to field two competitive sides.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Maori’s last weekend, but ultimately a 25 point victory was an accurate depiction of how the fixture unfolded. With conditions looking to be significantly better this weekend, the hosts should be fired up to produce an eye-catching display.

I can’t see Samoa lasting a full 80 minutes on Saturday and with players looking to impress Ian Foster and his onlooking coaching staff, I’ll be backing the Maori to cover the handicap.