New Zealand vs Argentina
New Zealand welcome Argentina to Wellington for their opening round match in the Rugby Championship. The home side are unbeaten under the guidance of Coach Scotty Robertson, having secured a series win over England and easily beating Fiji. The visitors will be without their skipper Julian Montoya but will have the experience of their most capped player Agustin Creevy. The All Blacks have made a surprising decision to drop Rieko Ioane from the starting team and replace him with Anton Lienert-Brown. Ioane has paid the price for his poor performances against the English. The Pumas are fresh off drawing a home series against the French so they will be full of confidence.
TIP: The All Blacks will be looking to attack the Pumas at scrum time as they really struggled in this area against a second-string French front row. If the home side can get quick ball, then that will allow Damian McKenzie the space he thrives in. The attacking flyhalf looks to have secured the pivot position and if he finds the likes of Mark Telea and Sevu Reece on the wings then the home side should canter to victory. The bookies have the All Blacks as favorites and I am also backing them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Tictacbets 1.10, Betway 1.10 and Bettabets 1.10
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
New Zealand vs Argentina
- New Zealand have won the last three matches between the sides.
- Argentina have only beaten the All Blacks twice in their history.
Latest results for both teams
New Zealand beat Fiji 47-5 in their last match while Argentina beat Uruguay 79-5 in their last match.
PREDICTION
The All Blacks will be weary of the Pumas after they shocked them last year at home. They will be missing some key players which will give the visitors some hope of repeating the feat. Some of the Pumas selections have been slightly baffling with Matias Moroni on the wing yet he usually plays centre. His lack of pace could be cruelly exposed by the home sides winger and fullback Beauden Barrett. The home side will want a high tempo game which will suit their attack that has plenty of pace while the visitors will adopt a kicking game. The All Blacks have too much firepower in the backline and on the bench therefore I predict a home win by 20 points.
Probable Starting XVs
New Zealand
15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan De Groot
Argentina
15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Thomas Gallo
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the All Blacks victory are as follows:
Tictacbets 1.10
Betway 1.10
Bettabets 1.10
Odds comparison on the All Blacks handicap:
The complete odds on the All Blacks handicap:
Tictacbets 1.90 (-15.5)
Betway 1.87 (-15.5)
Bettabets 1.89 (-15.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There are poor odds on the All Blacks outright win therefore we suggest the home team on the handicap for better odds. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Tictacbets 1.90 (-15.5),Betway 1.87 (-15.5) and Bettabets 1.89 (-15.5)
Other tips for the weekend (Predicted winners are in BOLD text)
Auckland vs Wellington
North Harbour vs Hawkes Bay
Australia vs South Africa
NZ vs Argentina
Sharks vs Griquas
Bulls vs Griffons
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Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
