The Springboks will be looking to end their Eden Park hoodoo when they take on an All Blacks outfit in their fortress. Neither side has shot the lights out in what has been a competitive two rounds of the Rugby Championship with the Boks sitting third on the ladder while the Kiwis sit at the summit having managed to claim a bonus point in their defeat to Los Pumas.
New Zealand v South Africa | Saturday 6 September | Eden Park
To Win (80 Mins)
New Zealand | Draw | South Africa
Handicap
New Zealand | South Africa
It shows how serious this one is that Rassie Erasmus has opted to delay his team announcement until way later than he has traditionally done during his tenure with South African rugby. Perhaps the pressure of two mediocre showings against Australia has taken its toll or maybe it’s more of Rassie’s mind games.
The Kiwis and Boks find themselves treading similar ground having each won and lost a fixture, although this weekend’s hosts are far better off on the Rugby Championship log as they sit at the summit a point clear of Australia while the visitors are two points off the early pace.
Both sides showed flashes during their opening two fixtures with the Kiwis dominating their first encounter with Argentina as they ran out 24-41 victors before going down 29-23 to Los Pumas in Round 2, while the ‘Boks opened their campaign with a shock 22-38 loss to the Wallabies which came courtesy of a dire second half showing, while they bounced back in the second with a 30-22 win.
Looking at the last five games between the sides, the ‘Boks have won four of the last five which includes, although all of these games have been played outside of the ‘land of the long white cloud’.
In terms of team news, New Zealand have endured something of an injury crisis at scrum half with Cortez Ratima, Cam Roigard and Noah Hotham all sidelined. Finlay Christie is the major beneficiary of this as he gets a start with potential debutant Kyle Preston on the bench. Further changes see Tupou Vaa’i shift to lock and Emoni Narawa come in on the wing. For the visitors, Rassie Erasmus has opted to field a vastly experienced squad with Willie Le Roux returnurning to the fullback berth while Pieter-Steph du Toit is back on the flank.
Verdict: South Africa (+)
The handicap is a slim one but with a bit of rain forecast to fall earlier on Saturday and not much between the two sides, I reckon the plus handicap is the only way to go here.
