The final round of a shortened Rugby Championship takes centre stage this weekend with the Wallabies hosting the All Blacks at the MCG and the Pumas who take on the Springboks at Ellis Park. New Zealand look certain to claim a 6th title from the last seven years, unless Eddie Jones’ team can pull off a shock win over their rivals and leave the door open for South Africa.
- New Zealand -15 handicap
- South Africa -17 handicap
- Kurt-Lee Arendse to score a try
All Blacks To Claim Bledisloe Bragging Rights
New Zealand will fancy their chances of putting one hand on the Bledisloe Cup this weekend when they travel to Melbourne Cricket Ground to face Australia.
The All Blacks are in a prime position to defend their Rugby Championship crown as they go in search of their 20th title.
Ian Foster's side have started this year's event with two wins from two, beating Argentina 41-12 and South Africa 35-20.
Saturday's meeting in Melbourne will be the first between the two sides since September 2022, a match the All Blacks won 40-14.
New Zealand have won five consecutive matches against their rivals, a record dating back to November 2020, and it looks like the Wallabies will struggle once again.
Eddie Jones's second spell in charge has started poorly, and he has made some big calls to try to get his team their first win of this year's Rugby Championship.
Australia have lost to South Africa and Argentina and their 34-31 defeat to the Pumas was one of the biggest shocks in the tournament for many years.
To try and restore some pride, Jones has named young fly-half Carter Gordon in his starting 15 in one of seven changes, and he will be joined by Tate McDermott in a revamped half-back pairing.
Andrew Kellaway is also back at full-back, and with wingers Mark Nawaqanitawase and Marika Koroibete in good form, Australia at least have a dangerous back three.
Jones has a rock-solid bench at his disposal with James Slipper, Jordan Uelese, Taniela Tupou, Richie Arnold, Rob Leota, Nic White and Quade Cooper all named as replacements.
The former England and Japan boss has said he wants his team to make their country proud, but their recent form suggests his squad needs more time to gel under his stewardship.
Jones may be the best coach for the job, having led Australia to their last Bledisloe Cup victory in 2022, but New Zealand have been ruthless in their opening two matches.
As he often does before kick-off, Jones has tried to fuel the fire between the two camps, but that is likely to backfire in Melbourne.
While Australia's coach has made several changes, Foster has kept things simple, making just one alteration to his side. Regular captain Sam Cane drops out with a neck strain, and he will be replaced by Dalton Papali'i, meaning Ardie Savea will lead the All Blacks.
The message from the All Blacks camp is as professional as ever, and they will not be overlooking the threat of the Australians as they try to add to Jones's woes in Melbourne.
New Zealand's win over South Africa, who many considered the favourites for the Rugby Championship, was a serious statement and they are expected to build on that emphatic showing at the expense of Jones's troops.
Savea has been in top form for the All Blacks
Australia v New Zealand Teams
Australia: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Tom Hooper, 6 Jed Holloway, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Richie Arnold, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Nic White, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Izaia Perese
New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Caleb Clarke
Pumas To Struggle Against Bok Speed
Argentina will still be revelling in their win over Australia as they travel to Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg to face South Africa.
Their 34-31 success was only their third win over the Wallabies in Australia, and despite being second-best for large spells of the game, they fought hard to win down under.
The Aussies played into Argentina's hands, giving away 68 per cent possession and conceding cheap penalties, but South Africa are unlikely to be as sloppy.
After their defeat to the All Blacks, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has made nine changes to his team.
Grant Williams will start at scrum-half for the first time, joining Manie Libbok in the engine room. No.8 Duane Vermeulen will lead a new-look Boks team as Nienaber tries to look at his options ahead of the 2023 World Cup later this year.
South Africa cannot afford to take their foot off the gas, as their match in Johannesburg could be a title decider should Australia surprise New Zealand. While that is unlikely to happen, South Africa must play as if they can lift the trophy.
Even though there are new faces in the Springboks team, the opportunity to star at the World Cup later this year will be enough motivation while, worryingly for Argentina, they may have already climbed their mountain this summer.
Argentina's robust and menacing approach should give them some joy, but they are likely to struggle to contain Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
The speed merchants have the sharpness and guile to change a match in South Africa's favour in an instant, and Arendse is expected to add to his impressive record.
Arendse, 27, has scored ten tries in his previous seven Tests, and that is a record he can improve on against the Pumas on home soil.
While some of the Springboks youngsters should try to forge a name for themselves, Saturday's game is also a chance for the old guard to say goodbye.
The likes of Trevor Nyakane and Makazole Mapimpi may be playing on home soil for the final time, so they will need no extra motivation to bow out in front of the home crowd on a high.
KURT-LEE ARENDSE TO SCORE A TRY
Vermeulen leads the Boks
South Africa v Argentina Teams
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Kwagga Smith, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Lukhanyo Am, 23 Damian Willemse
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia 14 Mateo Carreras, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Lucas Paulos, 3 Francisco Gomez-Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Pedro Rubiolo, 20 Facundo Isa, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Tomas Albornoz, 23 Matias Moroni
