Rugby Predictions Today

Our TopBets, rugby experts will provide you with the latest rugby predictions on rugby from across the globe. The emphasis will be on the major leagues like the United Rugby Championship(URC), Super Rugby and of course our very own local Currie Cup. All the major international tournaments such as the Rugby Championships and the Six Nations will also be covered with our team providing rugby betting tips. You can be assured all the big rugby this weekend will be previewed on this page.

Rugby Predictions for SATURDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2025

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1X2 Tips For Rugby Fixtures Today

England vs Fiji

Tip 1: England to win

Reason for the tip: England will be out to prevent a repeat of the last time they played the Fijians at Twickenham when the Islanders came away with their first ever win over the Red Roses. The home side have made a raft of changes to the side that beat Australia with Finn Smith coming in for George Ford and the other Smith coming in for Freddie Steward in the fullback jersey. The latter decision is rather surprising considering that the visitors are excellent in the air and Marcus does not have the best aerial skills. 

Both teams have plenty of attacking threats all across the park but will need their respective packs to lay the platform for the explosive backs. One of the highlights of the match will be the midfield match up between powerhouses Josua Tuisove and Ollie Lawrence. The latter may be younger and quicker but the Fijian almost always requires two or more players to stop him. The match is likely to be an even contest but the English bench with the likes of Henry Pollock and Maro Itoje will see them to victory. 

Ireland vs Japan

Tip 2: Ireland to win

Reason for the tip: Ireland will be a team on a mission when they play host to Japan at the Aviva Stadium. The home team will be smarting from their disappointing defeat at the hands of the All Blacks last week. One bit of good news for them is that star forward Tadhg Beirne had his controversial red card rescinded and has been selected for this match. The visitors will also be looking for a much improved display after they were thrashed 61-7 by the Springboks. They have benched veteran Michael Leitch while Warner Deans retains the captaincy. 

Japan will need to find a way to combat the strength of the Irish forward pack as they were bullied off the park by the massive Bok pack. Their game is based on quick ruck ball and fast hands which was in shambles last week as poor handling let them down in the wet weather. Ireland have gone with Craig Casey in the nine jersey alongside his Munster teammate Jack Crowley which should ensure more cohesion in the backline. I cannot see anything other than a comprehensive home victory as the Green Machine have too much firepower. 

France vs South Africa 

Tip 3: South Africa to win  

Reason for the tip: The only talk on French lips leading up to this encounter with the Springboks is revenge after the visitors dumped them out of their quarter final of the last World Cup in front of their home fans. Both teams have had significant personnel losses since that match with the hosts missing their talismanic Captain Anton Dupont while the visitors are without Kwagga Smith and Ox Nche who are both injured. There are a lot of new faces in the French team which could work in their favour as the World Champions may not have much knowledge about these players. 

The visitors have unearthed a young superstar flyhalf in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu but he is yet to be tested in the cauldron atmosphere of the Stade de France. France will no doubt be targeting him so the players around him like Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende will need to assist the youngster by protecting his channel. All eyes will  be on the French new halfback pairing of Romain Ntamack and Nolann le Garrec who will take some time to settle into the game as it is their first start together. If they can get their world class wings into the game then they could upset the Boks. I am backing the visitors for the win as the Bomb Squad will see them over the line. 

Scotland vs New Zealand 

Tip 4: New Zealand to win

Reason for the tip: Scotland will be looking to accomplish something that they have not managed  in their history and that is to beat the All Blacks when they face off at Murrayfield. The home side destroyed the USA 81-0 last week but will face a different beast this time round. They have recalled all their big guns including Finn Russel and Blair Kinghorn but have made a big call to drop their record try scorer Duhan van der Merwe in favour of another South African born winger in Kyle Steyn. The reason given by Coach Gregor Townsend is that Steyn is better in the air but he obviously lacks the finishing prowess of the giant winger. 

New Zealand have been forced into a couple of changes with the most significant one coming in the midfield with Jordie Barrett injured so Quinn Tupaea moving into the inside centre position and Leicester Fainga’anuku coming into the outside centre position. In the pack, Simon Parker has been replaced by Wallace Sititi after his brilliant cameo in the last match which included a late try. The Scottish backline is among the best in the game with Russell pulling the strings but it is their front row that the All Blacks will target. The power of the visitors pack will ultimately be the difference between the sides, therefore I predict an All Blacks win. 

Rugby Handicap Betting

Handicap Betting Tips for Today

Italy vs Australia: Home team (+11.5)

Reason for tip: Italy will be looking to repeat the heroics of three years ago when they defeated the Wallabies for the first time. They will fancy their chances against the visitors who have looked off colour in their last few matches especially in attack. They only managed a single try against the English with that being an intercept effort from Harry Potter. Italy have gone with their tried and tested combinations of Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello in the midfield and Paolo Garbisi and Stephen Varney in the midfield. Australia have recalled Carter Gordon in the flyhalf position as they look for more cohesion in their attack. 

The Aussies love to play a high tempo game but the weather didn’t allow that last week so we can expect them to keep the ball in hand and attack from anywhere. They have arguably the fastest player in the South Hemisphere in Corey Toole but need to get the ball to him as he can be deadly if given any space. His battle with Italy star  Ange Capuozzo will be worth the ticket alone as the fullback is a pocket rocket with a wicked side step. The match is still likely to be decided in the forwards and the Wallabies have the edge in this area but I am backing Italy to cover the +11.5 handicap. 

England A vs New Zealand XV: Away team (-7.5)

Reason for tip: The England A team will play their first match of the Autumn when they take on the New Zealand XV at the Rec. The hosts have plenty of quality in their side but will initially struggle with the new combinations while the visitors will be more in sync after they defeated the Barbarians last week after being 19-0 down at one stage. The All Blacks XV were given a timely boost when experienced international Sevu Reece and Luke Jacobsen were added to the team with the latter making an entry off the bench. 

The home side will need to find their feet quickly as the visitors are familiar with each other as many of them play for the Crusaders in Super rugby. It will be interesting to see how the latest poster boy of English rugby Noah Calouri goes in this match as he is arguably the best aerially the game has seen in recent years. He will not have it all his own way as Chay Fihaki, Reece and Caleb Tangitau are all good in the air. The cohesion of the visitors and the class of the bench makes me back them to win and cover the -7.5 handicap.

Rugby fixtures this weekend

Accumulator of the Day 

• Ireland vs Japan- Home win
• England A vs New Zealand A- Away win
• Scotland vs New Zealand- Away win
• England vs Fiji- Home win
• Italy vs Australia- Away win
• France vs South Africa-Away win
• Romania vs Canada- Home win
• Samoa vs Brazil-Home win
• Portugal vs Uruguay-Away win

Rugby Results Yesterday

• Colomiers vs Provence- Home win❌
• Valence vs Aurillac- Home win✅

Rugby tomorrow

• New Zealand vs Samoa
• Wales vs Argentina

Understanding Rugby Betting 

It is crucial that players understand the different types of rugby betting. If a player places a wager on a handicap bet with fully understanding it, he could think they won the bet but instead they lost the bet as they did not understand how it works. Our rugby predictions will give you the option of the three way bet or the handicap betting as our previews will focus on this.

Different types of Rugby bets 

Match Winner

The most self-explanatory of bets to take on a rugby match. This is the most common and oldest type of rugby bet in which you select Team A or Team B to win. The odds on this type of bet may be low especially if your team is the favourite.

Draw No Bet

The draw is quite rare in Rugby Union, but it does happen from time to time. If you’re worried about the draw messing up your bet then take a Draw No Bet market. Your bet will be refunded if the match result ends in a draw.

Handicap Betting

The most popular bets on rugby are handicap bets. This is often where some of the best value is to be found. The handicap is an advantage that bookmakers give one team to make the game more balanced. The team given the positive handicap can win, draw or lose the game by less than the handicap to cover the bet and win. The team with the negative handicap must win the match by more than the points set out in the handicap to win their bet.

Total points over/under

The over/under betting market involves predicting whether the total number of points scored in a match will be above or lower than a certain predetermined number. For instance, if you bet on the over/under 50 points market and you bet on under, the combined score of the two teams shouldn’t exceed 50.

First Try Scorer

Rugby fans know the excitement that comes when a player breaks through the defence to score the first try. Betting on the first-try scorer is about predicting which player from either team will cross the try line first. This bet type carries higher odds as it’s challenging to predict, making potential payouts more lucrative.

Anytime Try Scorer

Less specific than the first-try scorer bet, the anytime try scorer wager involves picking a player you believe will score a try at any point during the match. The odds are typically lower than for the first-try scorer but offer a better chance of a payout.

FAQs

1 How long is a game of rugby?

A game of rugby is 80 minutes

2. How many players are there on a rugby team?

There are 15 players a side except in Rugby 7s where there are 5 players a side.

3. Where to watch rugby live?

Most of the rugby matches in South Africa can be watched live on Supersport. Betting sites like Betway and WSB offer live streaming on selected matches.

4. How to stream live rugby in South Africa for free?

Rugby Pass offers free streaming of selected matches.