Dean Etheridge
The pressure on All Blacks head coach Ian Foster ratcheted up a couple more notches last Saturday as his team lost their opening Rugby Championship fixture. So with even more people in New Zealand now calling for Foster’s immediate removal, we look at what chance his team has of bouncing back with a win this week in our free Rugby Union betting picks.
What Happened Last Weekend in the Rugby Championship?
On the opening weekend of the 2022 Rugby Championship, South Africa beat New Zealand 26-10 at the Mbombela Stadium in South Africa. While in the other match, Australia defeated Argentina 41-26 in Mendoza.
But it’s what happened in South Africa that’s making all the headlines.
The 26-10 result is South Africa’s largest ever win over the All Blacks, and it now looks like any repeat this weekend will either result in Foster’s sacking, or he may even fall on his sword, as has been reported in New Zealand.
This is uncharted territory for the New Zealand rugby team. They’ve now lost three matches in a row, and five of their last six. This is now more than a blip. And with the world cup just over 12 months away, it’s getting to the stage where the position of Foster is just becoming untenable.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster is fast running out of supporters in New Zealand.https://t.co/3RTcGsjeOK
— ESPN Scrum (@espnscrum) August 8, 2022
The defeat was horrendous, and it never looked in any doubt. The result is generous to the All Blacks, it should have been a bigger loss than it ended up being. And that’s about the only positive that can be taken from the match.
Elsewhere, Argentina failed to get their campaign off to a winning start at home to the Wallabies. Things looked good for the Pumas at halftime when they led 19-10. But Australia showed their class and fighting spirit in the second half to turn the game around and run out 41-26 winners.
The Pumas also have another opportunity next Saturday when they again face the Wallabies in Argentina, this time at San Juan. The two home matches for Michael Cheika against his former employer and home nation are probably Argentina’s best opportunities to secure a win at this year’s championship. Although, I’m sure disgruntled All Blacks fans might disagree!
2022 Rugby Championship; Outright Winner Betting
Saturday’s win for the Springboks sees them leapfrog over the All Blacks in the betting to win the 2022 Rugby Championship. Before the opening weekend, New Zealand was the betting favorite at -110, with South Africa at +150. The odds now read -135 South Africa, +175 New Zealand.
| 2022 Rugby Championship Winner Betting |  |  |
| South Africa | -135 | TBC |
| New Zealand | +175 | TBC |
| Australia | +400 | TBC |
| Argentina | +6000 | TBC |
It’s still in the balance, and a win for the All Blacks will no doubt see them reinstated as the favorites with the best rugby betting sites.
Week 2; The Rugby Championship
- South Africa v New Zealand – Saturday, August 13th, 11.05 am ET
- Argentina v Australia – Saturday, August 13th, 3.10 pm ET
This weekend sees a repeat round of fixtures, with South Africa again hosting the All Blacks, and Argentina playing host to the Wallabies. The reason for having back-to-back matches is for player welfare, mainly in the name of travel and fatigue.
It is also designed to give the teams a tour mentality. So instead of Argentina and the Wallabies flying thousands of miles to play Round 2 in Australia this weekend, they are both still in Argentina. This is a great bonus for the home team, and it also gives the home fans a chance to get behind the team.
As for the Wallabies, they can develop a siege mentality, and will also benefit from a home advantage in Weeks 3 and 4 against South Africa.
Argentina v Australia Picks
So can the Pumas cash in on home field advantage and get that first Rugby Championship win since 2018? The Pumas are +230 to score that win, with Australia at -285. The draw is at +2200.
On the handicap line, Argentina has a 7.5 points start, and are -110. The Aussies are at the same odds, with a -7.5 points deficit. Argentina put together a great first half last week, and that shows them what they are capable of.
An impressive second 40 from the @wallabies
A 41 – 26 win to get their Rugby Championship underway#ARGvAUS pic.twitter.com/kJoy6PrU7m
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) August 6, 2022
But on the flip side, the Aussies came back extremely strongly, and they did something very similar in the 1st Test against England a few weeks earlier.
With the Aussies having a strong finish in them, I’m going to make Australia my pick to beat Argentina on the handicap.
South Africa v New Zealand Picks
As for South Africa v New Zealand, what do you do? It has to be South Africa on form, but it’s always dangerous to write the All Blacks off. South Africa is -235 to win on the Moneyline, which is very short for a rugby pick. The draw is +2000, with New Zealand at +180.
On the handicap, the All Blacks have a +5.5 points start. That is quite remarkable and shows the best rated online sportsbooks have turned against New Zealand.
I can’t be backing South Africa at -235 on the Moneyline, and I’m a bit reluctant to write the All Blacks off. Therefore I’m going for overs in the points spread as my pick.
If the All Blacks fire, there could be lots of points scored. If the All Blacks crumble, they could concede quite a lot. And also be looking for a new head coach next week.
