Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Rugby Championship match.
On Friday the second block of The Rugby Championship gets under way, and at Eden Park in Auckland the headline showdown of not only the Southern Hemisphere but the global game brings New Zealand and South Africa together.
New Zealand
However much England or France might argue the point, New Zealand and South Africa are the two best and most popular teams in the world, and they were the finalists at the most recent Rugby World Cup. Both lost one of their two matches to the other two sides in The Rugby Championship. As for New Zealand, they were beaten in Argentina for the first time in history (23:29) after winning the first meeting (41:24). In the second Test they incurred even more sin-bins (three instead of one) and let slip the advantage they had built by the half-hour. Two yellow cards in a four-minute spell proved costly. Scott Robertson faces several selection dilemmas as he looks to replace injured players. Scrum-half is a particular concern: there is hope that Cortez Ratima will be fit, but he sustained a rib fracture, so his availability is highly doubtful.
South Africa
Johan Erasmus also has plenty to ponder. Much depends on whether captain and flanker Siyamthanda Kolisi recovers in time. The initial prognosis for his leg injury was eight weeks, but subsequent assessments indicated there is a chance he could make the matchday squad as early as the third round. That is one reason why the head coach is withholding the starting XV until Thursday, which is unusual. If the captain, who operated at No. 8 in his most recent outing, is not fully ready, Kwagga Smith, or even Jean-Luc du Preez, who has been a rare presence in the squad, could step in. Overall, South Africa did not look impervious in their meetings with Australia and suffered a surprise defeat in the first of them (22:38). For the return fixture the coaching staff did the necessary work and made changes to the starting XV, and the result followed (30:22).
New Zealand vs South Africa Prediction
In the modern era South Africa have won in New Zealand four times, but never in Auckland. New Zealand have enough weak spots at present, yet at home they remain the favourites. We expect a tight contest and that the visitors will collect at least a losing bonus point.
