New Zealand and South Africa will battle it out for third place when they go head-to-head on Sunday the 17th of June.
It’s the game neither of these sides wanted to be involved in but you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be as feisty as if they were contesting the final. Yes, New Zealand and South Africa will go head-to-head in the third-place play-off this Sunday. Both sides will be desperate to claim the win here so as to end the tournament on a high note.
New Zealand v South Africa
Sunday 17 June
Stade De La Mediterranee
16:30
To Win (80 Mins)
New Zealand 2/9
Draw 25/1
South Africa 33/10
Handicap
New Zealand (-9.5) 1/20
South Africa (+9.5) 17/20
New Zealand
The reigning Champions were given a rugby lesson by tournament hosts France as they went down 16-7 in last Thursday’s semi-final. The Kiwis had played some great rugby up until that point and looked destined to retain their title. They will now be looking to salvage some pride when they take on a hit and miss Junior Bok outfit.
The Junior All Blacks struggled to create opportunities against the French and will need to be a lot more ruthless with ball-in-hand this time around. They are likely to achieve this as the South African defence has been rather porous.
South Africa
Well, one thing is for sure, this Baby Bok outfit is definitely a second-half side. Trailing 22-7 at half-time, the game looked done and dusted but a stellar effort in the second stanza the Junior ‘Boks go down by just a solitary point. They will have gained a lot of confidence from that comeback but they may well struggle physically during the final quarter as they must surely be feeling the effects of that effort.
The Baby ‘Boks will need to use their forward pack to muscle them into the game. The Baby Black’s pack hasn’t been as strong as they were last year and the French exposed their weakness last Tuesday. If Chean Roux’s men can dominate up front, they may have a chance of taking this one.
Verdict: South Africa (+9.5) 17/20
This is simply too big a handicap. Yes, both sides will look to run it but I still think it will be a tight scoreline when all is said and done.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets.
