Written by @QuintenLetcher for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Argentina vs New Zealand | Sunday 28 September | Estadio Ciudad de La Plata | 00:10
The formidable All Blacks head for La Plata this weekend with every intention of clinching their third consecutive Rugby Championship title with a game in hand, but to do so they’ll need to comprehensively outclass a steadfast Los Pumas outfit to pick up a series-winning bonus point. Previous results certainly favour the visitors, who have managed to crash over the whitewash at least four times on each of their last two trips to La Plata, but the ever-improving Pumas have put in a commendable showing so far this season, and will inevitably prove a trickier opponent on home soil. With no-nonsense Steve Hansen taking the hard line on bar-hopping socialite Aaron Cruden’s flight missing antics, and the All Blacks already without the injured battle commander Dan Carter, the lucrative bonus point won’t come all that easy this time around.
To Win (80mins)
Argentina 5/1
New Zealand 1/9
Draw 28/1
Handicaps
Argentina (+14.5) 9/10
New Zealand (-14.5) 9/10
Argentina
Los Pumas are still searching for their first taste of victory in the Rugby Championship, and while that maiden win is unlikely to come about when they clash with the All Blacks this Saturday, the South Americans have no reason to feel despondent about their showing in the competition this year. Argentina have pushed all three sides close this season, and were unlucky not to come away with the spoils in the second Test against the Springboks in Salta. No final team announced just yet, but burly Benjamin Macome is expected to play a part following the loss of both Pablo Matera and Juan Manuel Leguizamon.
New Zealand
The All Blacks have once again set the pace this season, and currently sit a healthy six points clear of the Springboks and Wallabies with two Tests left to play in the competition. Having now gone a phenomenal 21 Tests undefeated, there will certainly be no lack of confidence on the tourist’s part this weekend. An unusually high number of changes to the run on side this week, by All Black standards at least, sees Beauden Barrett claiming only his second start at pivot following Hansen’s decision to exclude first choice playmaker Aaron Cruden from his plans for the remainder of the competition. Malakai Fekitoa has been named to start in the unfamiliar position of inside centre in the absence of Ma’a Nonu. Up front, Jerome Kaino and Sam Whitelock return from injury to help strengthen the pack for what is historically a physical battle between the forwards. Keven Mealamu makes his first Test start in some nine months, taking over at hooker from Dane Coles, who returned home for the birth of his child.
VERDICT: Argentina (+14.5) 9/10
The All Blacks battled to get out of the starting blocks when these two met a few weeks back in Napier, and they head out this weekend with the very same inexperienced playmaker that seemed slightly overwhelmed with the task of directing the world’s most potent backline in that 28-9 victory. His poor performance with the boot in that game didn’t do him any favours either. I can’t see things getting off to a much smoother start when asked to do so again this week, but this time on foreign soil. And with an equally inexperienced Fekitoa playing on his inside I’m thinking we’ll see a far tighter contest between these two than we’ve become accustomed to over the past few seasons.
Think we’ve got it wrong? Well leave your comments below and tell us how you think this is going to play out.
