South Africa host New Zealand in Cape Town next Saturday in a thrilling Rugby Championship showdown. This clash follows an intense battle last weekend in Johannesburg where the Springboks beat The All Blacks 31-27. New Zealand are priced as the underdogs at +170 to get swift revenge by winning in Cape Town.
Below are the Las Vegas Odds from three of the best online betting sites.
South Africa pulled off a late victory over New Zealand, clinching a 31-27 win at Ellis Park on Saturday, keeping their hopes alive for their first Rugby Championship title since 2019. The All Blacks had controlled the match for the majority of the time and held a 10-point lead as they entered the final quarter. However, they crumbled under relentless pressure from the Springboks, who dominated the last 30 minutes.
New Zealand’s downfall began when replacement prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi received a yellow card in the 67th minute for collapsing a maul. With the man advantage, South Africa capitalized, scoring two converted tries within six minutes to overturn a 27-17 deficit, taking a 31-27 lead with five minutes remaining. The decisive try came when the Springboks opted to forgo a penalty kick, choosing instead to launch an attacking lineout, leading to replacement scrum-half Grant Williams finding a gap and scoring in the 74th minute.
The highly anticipated first meeting between these teams since the Rugby World Cup final last October in Paris did not disappoint. While New Zealand managed to outscore South Africa with four tries to three, their lack of discipline proved costly once again.
For the first time in 15 years, the reigning world champion Springboks have secured three consecutive victories over the All Blacks.
Surely, they can’t make it four in a row and it must be time for a New Zealand win. It is rare to see the All Blacks as +170 underdogs so I am willing to take that price.
Bovada is one of the best betting sites for Rugby. You can read our Bovada.lv sportsbook review for much more information.
A great option for Rugby betting offered by Bovada is the half time/full time market. This is where you choose the team winning at half time and the team winning at full time. I like the look of South Africa half time / New Zealand full time at great odds of +825.
The Rugby Championship, previously known as the Tri Nations Series (1996–2011), is an annual international rugby union competition featuring Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa—traditionally the top-ranked teams in the Southern Hemisphere. A parallel tournament, the Six Nations, is held in the Northern Hemisphere.
SANZAAR, a coalition of the four national governing bodies—the South African Rugby Union, New Zealand Rugby Union, Rugby Australia, and the Argentine Rugby Union—oversees the competition. The Tri Nations debuted in 1996, with New Zealand claiming the first title. South Africa secured their inaugural victory in 1998, while Australia won their first in 2000. By the final Tri Nations in 2011, New Zealand had won ten championships, with South Africa and Australia each holding three titles.
The first edition of the rebranded Rugby Championship in 2012 was dominated by New Zealand, who won all six of their matches. Historically, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia have consistently ranked among the world’s top rugby nations. South Africa has captured the Rugby World Cup four times, New Zealand three times, and Australia twice, collectively winning nine out of ten World Cups.
Below are our best options for Rugby betting.
