The second game of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour is upon us this week, with the Sharks welcoming New Zealand to Durban for a tasty midweek clash. We take a look at the game from a betting angle.
After last weekend’s opener saw New Zealand see off the Stormers 38-21 in Cape Town, the All Blacks now head across the country to face a young Sharks side who will be desperate to put in a strong performance in front of their home fans. New Zealand have gone with a completely fresh XV, effectively naming a full-strength side, so we can expect this to be a serious step up in quality across the park.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is a first-of-its-kind tour in modern times, that sees New Zealand travel to South Africa for 8 matches this month and next. They will take on the four top South African franchise sides as well as playing a four-Test series against South Africa, three of those Tests will be played on South African soil, with the last of them being played in the USA. The first Test is scheduled for the 22nd of August.
Sharks
The Sharks had a disappointing time in last season’s URC. Out of the 18 matches they played, they were only able to win eight. This meant they finished in 10th place, not making the playoffs. They did manage to find some momentum at the end of the season, winning their last two, 54-19 against Zebre and 46-7 against Benetton, both at home. Their Currie Cup side have had a decent start to the tournament, winning two of the four so far.
Although the Sharks are without their South African International players and have a full Currie Cup squad also taking part in that competition, they have still managed to name a very decent team on paper. The forward pack is solid with plenty of URC experience, as well as World Cup winner Vincent Koch in the front row. The back line is packed with young, exciting players who have been making waves in South African junior rugby over the last few months, including recent South African debutant Vusi Moyo at flyhalf.
Starting XV: 1 Nemo Roelofse, 2 Eduan Swart, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Hendre Stassen, 5 Emile van Heerden, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Manu Tshituka, 8 Nick Hatton (C), 9 Bradley Davis, 10 Vusi Moyo, 11 Litelihle Bester, 12 Murray Koster, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 14 Donovan Don, 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya
Replacements: 16 Liam van Wyk, 17 Rambo Kubekha, 18 Simphiwe Ngobese, 19 Vincent Tshituka, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Luan Giliomee, 23 Ma’a Nonu
New Zealand
New Zealand had a tougher-than-expected first outing against the Stormers last week. They ended up getting the win with the match ending 38-21, however things were a lot closer at half-time, with the two teams going into the break only seven points apart. That was New Zealand’s fifth win in a row, and they have now won nine of their last ten matches overall.
If we thought last week’s New Zealand side was strong, they have really brought in the big guns for this week’s match. A completely fresh starting lineup has been named, with the likes of Jordie Barrett, Damian McKenzie, and Ethan de Groot all bringing plenty of Test experience for New Zealand into the game.
Starting XV: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Fehi Fineanganofo, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Kyle Preston, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Ethan Blackadder, 20 Semisi Ta’eiloa, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23 Emoni Narawa
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Betting and Verdict
New Zealand are heavy favourites again this week, with the bookies having them trading at 1.002 for the win. The Sharks are currently at 16.00 while the draw is at 56.00. and the handicap is New Zealand -38.5.
New Zealand were only able to beat the Stormers by 17 points last week, however we think this week is going to be a completely different picture. First off, they have named a top-quality side that could easily be their starting lineup for any international fixture, with plenty of experience across both the forwards and backs. Then they are also coming up against a Sharks side that struggled in the recent URC season, and although they do have an exciting group, it is filled with plenty of youngsters without a massive amount of experience playing high-level rugby. For this reason, we think New Zealand will cover the large handicap this week.
Suggested bet: New Zealand [-38.5] at 1.87.
Punters are advised to keep an eye on the weather with rain forecast in Durban for Monday and Tuesday.
Click here for betting on Sharks v New Zealand match
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
