adminCape Town — The All Blacks will comfortably beat the Springboks in Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test in Christchurch, local bookmakers have predicted. It’s been a torrid year for Allister Coetzee’s Springboks, who on Saturday suffered their third loss in six matches when they went down 23-17 to the Wallabies in Brisbane. It followed a 26-24 reverse to Argentina in Salta last month, while the Boks’ 30-23 opening Rugby Championship win over Los Pumas in Nelspruit was also less than spectacular.
Earlier in the season, the Boks scraped home 2-1 in a three-Test series against an injury-depleted Ireland. The world champion All Blacks, meanwhile, have steamrolled all before them, beating Wales 3-0 in a home series, before starting their Rugby Championship campaign with comprehensive wins over the Wallabies (42-8 and 29-9) and then a 57-22 drubbing of Argentina this past weekend.
Over the years, the Springboks and All Blacks have duelled in 91 Tests. The Kiwis have won 53 compared to South Africa’s 35, while three Tests have ended in draws. On current form, the All Blacks should win at a canter and therefore local bookmakers, Sportingbet.co.za, have predicted a 22-point win for the All Blacks on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Australia have leapfrogged South Africa and moved into third place in the World Rugby rankings after chalking up their first win of this year’s Rugby Championship campaign.
Tries from rookie Adam Coleman and centre Bernard Foley, who also kicked 13 points, were enough to end a six-game losing streak as Australia fought back from 14-3 down inside the first quarter to win 23-17.
The Wallabies gain just under eight-tenths of a rating point as a result of the victory in Brisbane and move on to 85.02 points in the rankings, while the Springboks drop to fourth place on 84.30.
In Hamilton, New Zealand were given their sternest test of the year by an Argentinian side determined to play at the same high tempo as the All Blacks.— Sport24.
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derick.khumalo