The Springboks face a balancing act as they look to the future whilst staying in the present to ensure they don’t underestimate Wales in Durban on Saturday and preserve their place at the top of the Nations Championship Southern Hemisphere standings, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
ALSO READ: Four Fresh Faces And Returning Veteran Set For Bok Duty In Durban.
Another bumper Saturday of Test rugby is in store, kicking off with a colossal clash between New Zealand and Ireland in Dunedin.
Attention then turns to Tokyo, where Japan face France, followed by a desperate Australian side taking on Italy in Perth. Fiji and Scotland will square off at Murrayfield before the world champions and the Welsh collide at Kings Park.
Finally, Argentina and England battle it out in Santiago to wrap up the first half of the new international competition.
New Zealand vs Ireland
Saturday, 18 July – 9:10
Thirty-two years.
That’s how long the All Blacks have been unbeaten at their Eden Park fortress.
The Kiwis dodged a major bullet when they beat the Boks 24-17 to keep that remarkable record intact, and they face another big threat against the Irish on Saturday.
Both teams are undefeated in the Nations Championship, the All Blacks starting the Dave Rennie era with back-to-back wins over France (34-32) and Italy (47-17), and Ireland besting the Wallabies (33-31) and Japan (36-20). Yet, neither has been at their best.
The All Blacks are by nature an attacking side but haven’t found their clinical edge yet this season, whereas Ireland seem stuck in second gear. It should be a competitive clash, but history suggests New Zealand will get the job done.
Prediction: New Zealand by 5.
Suggested Bet: Ireland +12.5 at 1.88.
Japan vs France
Saturday, 18 July – 10:40
Japan have been impressive. After beating Italy 27-10, they led early on against Ireland last weekend and were within striking distance of Andy Farrell’s side with 10 minutes left before ultimately going down 36-20.
Outspoken Brave Blossoms coach Eddie Jones is chuffed with his charges, commenting, “Seventy minutes it’s 26-20, we’re playing without our two centres, so I think it’s pretty obvious that the team is competitive.”
What’s also pretty obvious, though, is that France are a different kettle of fish. The Six Nations champions rebounded from their narrow loss to the All Blacks with a resounding 16-point win over the Wallabies last weekend and will turn it on in Tokyo to overtake Ireland at the top of the Northern Hemisphere log.
Prediction: France by 28.
Suggested Bet: France -26.5 at 1.85.
Australia vs Italy
Saturday, 18 July – 12:10
Players always want to give an outgoing coach a winning send-off, and Joe Schmidt desperately needs it to avoid an unwanted record.
Last weekend’s 42-26 drubbing by France was the Wallabies’ sixth-straight loss and ninth in ten Tests in Brisbane.
Moreover, it dropped Schmidt’s winning percentage to 36.66 and left him needing a victory in his swansong to jump slightly above Dave Rennie (38.2 per cent) and avoid going down as the Wallabies coach with the worst win-loss ratio.
Fortunately for him, he’s drawn the Azzurri as his final assignment, and while they’ve made some promising strides in recent years, the Italians are a team the Wallabies should beat with some breathing room.
Prediction: Ireland by 22.
Suggested Bet: Ireland -20.5 at 1.86.
Fiji vs Scotland
Saturday, 18 July – 15:10
Fiji have found the going tough in the Nations Championship.
Their time in Britain, where they’re playing their three ‘home’ games for economic reasons, has been a nightmare, first losing 39-27 to Wales in Cardiff and then being embarrassed 73-8 by England in Liverpool last weekend.
Scotland, after their gutsy effort against the Boks, will add to the Pacific Islanders’ woes.
Prediction: Scotland by 28.
Suggested Bet: Scotland -17.5 at 1.83.
South Africa vs Wales
Saturday, 18 July – 17:40
Rassie Erasmus is the best coach in the world and the greatest Bok coach of all time. One of the reasons why is that he’s a master juggler. The forward-thinking mastermind has developed a juggernaut and, crucially, has refused to rest on his laurels.
Many at the helm of a back-to-back World Cup-winning powerhouse would ride the wave until it inevitably crashes onto the shore, but Erasmus has done the opposite. He’s boldly made wholesale changes to his team from week to week and, as a result, has developed damn-right frightening depth.
This week is no different, with Erasmus including four uncapped players in the starting XV. After blanking Wales 73-0 in Cardiff last November, Erasmus could easily have blooded even more players and opted for a third-string side.
Instead, he’s taken a measured approach by selecting an experienced spine with Malcolm Marx at hooker, Jasper Wiese at No. 8, and Cobus Reinach and Damian de Allende on either side of rookie flyhalf Vusi Moyo.
In doing so, he’s shown respect to Wales despite the Dragons having finished last in the Six Nations again this year and having crashed to a 35-21 loss to Los Pumas last weekend after starting the Nations Championship with a 39-24 win over Fiji.
Kings Park hasn’t been the best of home venues for the Boks but they’ll cruise to a comfortable third-straight bonus point win to finish the first half of the Nations Championship sitting pretty atop the Southern Hemisphere table.
Prediction: South Africa by 35.
Suggested Bet: Wales +41.5 at 1.86.
Argentina vs England
Saturday, 18 July – 21:10
Last weekend’s fixture against Fiji was just what embattled England needed to regain their mojo. Running in 11 tries, they stormed to a 73-8 win to end their five-match losing streak. However, whether they’re back on track will be determined in this clash.
For as much as Los Pumas are fun to watch when they’re on fire, one never knows which side will pitch up. Felipe Contepomi’s men are consistently inconsistent and have started the year in that same vein, losing 47-38 to Scotland before bouncing back with a 35-21 triumph over Wales last weekend.
The Red Roses might have their issues, but they’ve lost just once to Argentina – a 30-29 reverse in 2022. Add the fact that they’re fresh off a morale-boosting victory and they should make it six wins in a row in this rivalry.
Prediction: England by 4.
Suggested Bet: England -2.5 at 1.89.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
