New Zealand vs Argentina
The All Blacks will have revenge on their minds when they face Argentina this weekend. They were shocked 25-15 the last time these teams met and that gave the Pumas their first ever win against the All Blacks. The match is again being played at a neutral venue due to Covid restrictions. The All Blacks have lost their Captain from the last match Ardie Savea to injury and will be led out by Brodie Retallick. The Pumas will again look to their defence to win them this match. In their shock win last year it was their defence that won them the match. The All Blacks have made a raft of changes for this match and the Argentinians will fancy their chances in this match. The All Blacks have looked shaky in the scrums and the Pumas will look to attack them at scrum time led by the Captain Julian Montoya. If they can gain the upper hand then flyhalf Nicolás Sánchez will have the opportunity to launch their dangerous backline.
TIP: Argentina has arguably the best loose trio in world rugby with Rodrigo Bruni, Facundo Isa and Pablo Matera. Matera in particular is a beast and the highlight of the match will be his battle with his opposite number Akira Ioane. The All Black flanker is finally fulfilling the promise he showed from an early age. New Zealand has recalled TJ Perenara to start at 9 in place of Brad Weber and Weber can count himself unlucky on missing out on selection. This however means that Perenara will rekindle his old Hurricanes partnership with Beauden Barrett who is at 10. This could spell danger for the Pumas who will need to watch them very closely. The bookies have the All Blacks as heavy favourites and I’m also tipping them for the victory. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting 1.05, Playabets 1.02 and Sunbet 1.04
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
New Zealand vs Argentina
- Argentina has only ever beaten the All Blacks once in their history.
- New Zealand lost their previous match against Argentina 25-15.
Latest results for both teams
The All Blacks beat Australia 38-21 in their last match while Argentina lost 29-10 to South Africa in their last match.
PREDICTION
The All Blacks were lethal against Australia with turnover ball but we can expect the Pumas to be more conservative in their approach. The All Blacks will not find it easy to break the Argentinian defence and will need innovative plays to score tries. They have shown that they are also formidable with the driving maul but Argentina is very proficient in stopping those mauls. The man that controls the game for the Pumas is Nicolás Sánchez and if he can get good ball from the forwards then he can use his dangerous backs like Bautista Delguy and Matías Moroni to test the All Black defence. In midfield they have a powerhouse player in Santiago Chocobares who can tear through defenses. The All Blacks have threats all around the park and any Pumas mistakes will be punished. I expect the All Blacks to comfortably win this match by less than 17 points.
- Probable Starting XVs
New Zealand
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece,13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 David Havili, 11 George Bridge, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Luke Jacobson, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick (c),3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe.
Argentina
15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Santiago Chocobares, 12 Jerónimo De La Fuente, 11 Matías Moroni, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Felipe Ezcurra, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Facundo Isa, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Marco Kremer, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (Captain), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the New Zealand victory are as follows:
Worldsportsbetting 1.05
Playabets 1.02
Sunbet 1.04
Odds comparison on the Argentina handicap :
The complete odds on the Argentina handicap:
Worldsportsbetting (+23.5) 1.90
Sunbet (+23.5) 1.87
Playabets (+23.5) 1.82
Predictions and Odds in details
The Argentinians are their own worst enemy in most matches as they have serious discipline issues. They will need to be better in this department or the All Blacks will run away with the win. The All Blacks have many players fighting for places so even though they make changes, the new players always come out firing. The Pumas to be competitive in this match will need to with stand the initial onslaught from New Zealand. They will try and slow the game down and frustrate the All Blacks. The All Blacks have dangerous runners all through their backline and the interplay between their forwards and backs are a joy to watch. The Pumas forwards have to be potent at the breakdown and stop the All Blacks from getting quick ball. There is no profit for punters taking the All Blacks on the outright win therefore I suggest Argentina on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting (+23.5) 1.90, Sunbet (+23.5) 1.87 and Playabets (+23.5) 1.82
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.
