International Rugby Predictions – 5-6 July

The clash in Pretoria is one of five fixtures on Saturday, with Japan, New Zealand, Georgia, and Argentina hosting Wales, France, Ireland, and England in Kitakyushu, Dunedin, Tbilisi, and La Plata, respectively.

Plus, Australia face off against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday.

Japan v Wales

Saturday, 5 July – 7:00 SAST

Will Wales’ all-time horror run finally come to an end in Kitakyushu? That’s the big question heading into this clash.

The Dragons have suffered 17 successive Test defeats, starting with the 2023 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, and ended their second successive winless Six Nations campaign with a record 68-14 home loss to England.

Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt resumes the interim head coaching duties and has new assistants in Danny Wilson, Adam Jones, TR Thomas and Gethin Jenkins. With only two Welsh players, Zac Morgan and Tomos Williams, in the British & Irish Lions squad, they have little disruption as far as player personnel is concerned.

Japan have won four games and lost seven in Eddie Jones’ second term at the helm, so things aren’t rosy for the Brave Blossoms, either. All told, Wales should finally get a win, but I can’t back them by too much.

Prediction: Wales by 5.
Suggested Bet: Japan +9 at 1.90.

New Zealand v France

Saturday, 5 July – 9:05 SAST

It’s a shame that France have sent a second-string squad to the Land of the Long White Cloud. They’ve won the last three Tests between the teams, including a 30-29 triumph last November, and it would’ve been interesting to see if the Six Nations champions could clinch a series win in New Zealand.

What it’s done is put the focus squarely on the All Blacks, who’re not only expected to win but win well. Scott Robertson’s first season in charge yielded 10 wins and four defeats last year and the Kiwis are expected to improve on that this season. 

Being the All Blacks, they’ll always have some of the best backs in the game. The entertaining Super Rugby Pacific season showed that fans can expect plenty of flash from the New Zealanders once again, but they’ll also look to lay down a marker in the tight five, where they’re not as dominant as they’d like.

The scales are tipped heavily in the All Blacks’ favour, so expect them to hit the ground running against the understrength Les Bleus.  

Prediction: New Zealand by 19.
Suggested Bet: New Zealand -19 at 1.83.

South Africa v Italy

Saturday, 5 July – 17:10 SAST

The Boks will look to kick on after they got their season off to the perfect start with a record 54-7 win over the Barbarians last weekend.

The back-to-back world champions did the basics extremely well, dominated the set pieces and had success with their driving maul in the historic Cape Town clash. They also had solid synergy for a first hit-out in challenging conditions.

Since the game against the famous invitational team was a non-capped contest, the real work starts in the first of two Tests against the Azzurri on Saturday. The two sides last met on South African soil in 2013 when the Boks triumphed 44-10 in Durban, while their most recent meeting was in Genoa in 2022 when the Boks stormed to a 63-21 victory.

The Boks have lost just once to the Italians in 16 outings, a shock 20-18 defeat in Florence in 2016, and are primed to pummel them in Pretoria. Italy avoided the Six Nations wooden spoon thanks to their 22-15 win over Wales and pushed Ireland close (22-17). However, they were smashed 73-24 by France, showing they’re very much a developing side.

They shook off the rust with a 73-6 win over Namibia in Windhoek last Friday and while they have some attacking flair, they’ll be no match for the Boks, especially with them missing several of their top stars.

Prediction: South Africa by 40.
Suggested Bet: South Africa -39 at 1.90.

Georgia v Ireland

Saturday, 5 July – 19:00 SAST

A new-look Ireland team minus 15 stars who are touring Australia with the British & Irish Lions will do duty this month.

Paul O’Connell takes over as interim coach and is joined by Denis Leamy, Mike Prendergast and Colm Tucker, with Craig Casey set to captain his country for the first time.

Georgia, who have a date with the Boks in Nelspruit on 19 July, won their eighth consecutive Rugby Europe Championship title in March. They have a solid pack but Ireland’s structures and depth should be too much for them.

Prediction: Ireland by 10.
Suggested Bet: Georgia +15 at 1.90.

Argentina v England

Saturday, 5 July – 21:40 SAST

We’re set for an intriguing clash in La Plata, where Los Pumas look to pounce on a depleted England squad and build on their momentum following their famous 28-24 season-opening win over the British & Irish Lions in Dublin recently.

Felipe Contepomi couldn’t have asked for a better start to his side’s 2025 campaign as they were pure class and confidence in their surprise victory over the Northern Hemisphere all-stars. Argentina are always fun to watch and a team on the up.

Consistency has been an issue for them, so this is an opportunity for them to get a streak going. It’s also a chance for them to show they’ve learned from their 2024 season opener, which they dropped against a second-string France team.

England are missing 13 stars who are on Lions duty and will be captained by veterans Jamie George and George Ford. They had a hit-out in the guise of an England XV against a France XV last weekend and led 24-12 going into the final 10 minutes before unravelling and losing 26-24.

Given the high Argentina are on and the continuity edge they have, they should prevail.

Prediction: Argentina by 7.
Suggested Bet: England +8 at 1.90.

Australia v Fiji

Sunday, 6 July – 5:30 SAST

The Australian teams were much more competitive in this year’s Super Rugby Pacific tournament and the Wallabies stand to benefit from that.

The Aussies were poor last season, going 6-7, and are on a two-match losing streak after having finished their 2024 campaign with losses to Scotland (27-13) and Ireland (22-19).

As their only game before the much-anticipated three-Test British & Irish Lions series, this is no Barbarians-esque friendly but rather a vital fixture for Joe Schmidt’s team to tick as many boxes as possible.

The Wallabies remember full well what happened the last time they faced Fiji, as the Pacific Islanders claimed a shock 22-15 victory at the 2023 World Cup, their first win over the men from Down Under in 69 years.

Don’t expect a repeat of that in Newcastle. Instead, a switched-on Australian outfit should claim a comfortable win. 

Prediction: Australia by 16.
Suggested Bet: Australia -16 at 1.90.