New Zealand will host Fiji followed by Australia against Georgia and then Portugal travel to Bloemfontein to play against South Africa on Saturday and we look at these three matches from a betting angle.
The July International series has come to an end and now the top southern hemisphere teams will play another match against a weaker opponent, giving them a chance to try new combinations and give youngsters a shot.
Click here for July Internationals Betting
New Zealand v Fiji – Click here to bet
New Zealand are coming off the back of a 2-0 series win against England which was the perfect start for new head coach Scott Robertson. The first match was an enthralling one ending 16-15 followed by a better performance the next time out where they won 24-17.
Fijis last match was two weeks ago against Georgia where they won the match 12-21 away from home. Before that their previous game was in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final where they lost 30-24 to England. Fijian Drua had a solid season in super rugby finishing 7th on the table.
The two sides have faced each other 12 times in rugby union with New Zealand winning all 12 of the matches. The last fixture between the two sides was in 2021 in New Zealand where they won the match 60-13.
New Zealand are favourites to win and are trading at 1.02 while Fiji are trading at 18.00. The handicap at the time of writing is New Zealand [-23.5] at 1.91.
I can see New Zealand being too strong for Fiji and putting in a strong performance this weekend.
Note: This match takes place in San Diego
Suggested Bet: Handicap, New Zealand [-23.5] at 1.91.
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Australia v Georgia – Click here to bet
Australia managed to win their series 2-0 against Wales. Their first match ended 25-16 and the second ended 36-28. The start to new head coach Joe Schmidt’s began well but also showed there are still weaknesses in their game that Wales were able to exploit.
Georgia played two weeks ago against Fiji at home where they lost the match 12-21. Before that their last match was in the group stages of the 2023 World Cup where they lost 43-19 to Wales.
The two sides have faced only twice with Australia winning both. Australia have scored an average of 31 points while Georgia have scored an average of 12 points across the two games.
Australia are favourites to win the match and are trading at 1.06 while Georgia are trading at 12.00. The handicap at the time of writing is Georgia [+18.5] at 1.90.
Georgia are often the dark horse of international rugby, pulling off impressive performances against the tougher teams. Having had plenty of time to prepare for the match I can see them bringing out a solid performance against Australia.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Georgia [+18.5] at 1.90.
South Africa v Portugal – Click here to bet
South Africa are coming off a series draw against Ireland. They won the first match but went on to lose the second to a late drop goal by Ireland. They have named a younger side to face Portugal however the side is still a force to be reckoned with as a number of the players had outstanding seasons in the URC.
Portugal faced off against Namibia last weekend away from home where they put in a solid performance winning the match 22-37. This was their first match since their historic victory against Fiji in the 2023 World Cup.
South Africa are favourites to win and are trading at 1.01 while Portugal are trading at 26.00. The handicap at the time of writing is South Africa [-35.5] at 1.85.
South Africa are a side with immense depth and so they should be able to run over Portugal and put on a show for the Bloemfontein crowd.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, South Africa [-35.5] at 1.85.
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
