New Zealand vs Australia
The first test between the sides was quite a strange affair as the All Blacks had a 25 point lead going in to the final quarter but the Wallabies showed that never say die attitude and scored three tries in the last 12 minutes. This says something about both teams’ replacements. The All Blacks benched was very poor while the Aussie bench brought energy and passion to the team. The match once again showed Richie Mo’unga to be the best 10 in world rugby. It was his intercept try that put the All Blacks on the front foot at a time when the Wallabies were looking very dangerous. If Mo’unga was the star then his opposite number Noah Lolesio had a nightmare of a game. He missed five kicks at goals and if these went over then the result of the game could have been so different. This week the selection of Matt Toomua should see him take over the kicking duties which will release the pressure on the young Lolesio.
TIP: The return of Marika Koroibete to the team will be a welcome boost as he is immense on attack and defence. The duel between him and Will Jordan will be mouth-watering but I feel that Koroibete has the better all round game. Australia would have learnt from the last game that that they need to convert their chances as they has lots of possession in the first half but not much to show on the scoreboard. The Aussie pack and scrum will be delighted how they went in the match as they held their won and even won a few scrum penalties. The backlines of both teams will want to improve as both attacks looked blunt and relied on the forwards to get them the tries. The All Blacks are heavily favoured by the bookies and I’m also tipping them for the win but I expect the match to be much closer than the bookies are predicting. The best odds on the All Blacks win are as follows: Worldsportsbetting 1.08, Playabets 1.03 and Sunbet 1.05
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
New Zealand vs Australia
- In the last five matches there have been three NZ wins, one Wallabies win and a draw.
- New Zealand hasn’t lost a home match to Australia since 2012.
- The Wallabies last won at Eden Park in 1986.
Latest results for both teams
New Zealand won the last match against Australia 33-25.
PREDICTION
The All Blacks so often dominates the Wallabies at scrum time but the first test showed that the Aussies have worked very hard to gain parity in this area. The All Blacks pack does not look at strong as in previous years. The Wallabies have looked good in attack and will be boosted by the return of their best attacker Koroibete. He will get them over the line with his powerful carries and expect the All Blacks to heavily mark him which will give the other backline players space to run in. The experience of the home side at halfback with Mo’unga and Aaron Smith will be a telling factor as the Aussies have a very inexperienced halfback pair in Lolesio and Tate McDermott therefore the selection of Toomua will ease the pressure on these young players. The experience and skill of the home team will see them to victory and I predict them to win by 14 points.
- Probable Starting XVs
New Zealand
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 David Havili, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Samuel Whitelock (c), 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower
Australia
15 Tom Banks, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Hunter Paisami, 12 Matt To’omua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lachlan Swinton, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Darcy Swain, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Odds for this betK
The best odds on the New Zealand victory are as follows:
Worldsportsbetting 1.08
Playabets 1.03
Sunbet 1.05
Odds comparison on the Australian handicap :
The complete odds on the Australian handicap:
Worldsportsbetting (+8.5) 1.90
Sunbet (+7.5) 1.88
Playabets (+7.5) 1.85
Predictions and Odds in details
There aren’t too many more challenging propositions in world rugby than playing the All Blacks at Eden Park. They are unbeaten there since 1994 which is the longest winning run at any venue for any international team. The Australians to their credit were very good for large parts of the match but conceding tries on the stroke of half time and just after the break really cost them the match. An Aussie team led by the irrepressible Michael Hooper will never surrender and they almost wiped out a 25 point deficit. The All Blacks will be expecting more from their bench as the Barrett brothers Beauden and Jordie were anonymous when they came on late in the game. Much more will be expected from them in this match. There is very poor returns on the outright All Blacks victory therefore I suggest the Wallabies on the generous handicap. The best odds on this best are as follows: Worldsportsbetting (+21.5) 1.90, Sunbet (+21.5) 1.94 and Playabets (+21.5) 1.86
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.
