We take a look at the second Rugby World Cup semifinal between England and South Africa taking place on Saturday night and we suggest a bet in the game.
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ENGLAND VS SOUTH AFRICA – Click here to bet
England
Claimed their spot in the semis by beating Fiji 30-24. Many had hoped for an upset but the English, who were 8.5-point favourites, prevailed. England led 21-10 at halftime but Fiji made a comeback to level the score (24-24) with just 10 minutes to play. Unfortunately for Fiji, Owen Farrell converted a drop goal and a late penalty, sending England through to the semis.
The English topped Pool D and have won all 4 of their pool matches. They started off by beating Argentina 27-10, then beat Japan 34-12, thumped Chile 71-0, and narrowly beat Samoa 18-17 in their final Pool game.
England have made a few changes for the game with Steward in for the injured Smith at 15 and Martin replacing Chessum at lock.
South Africa
Secured their spot in the top 4 by narrowly beating France 28-29 in a heart-stopping match. One of the tensest matches I have ever seen. France led 22-19 at half time and with Etzebeth having been yellow carded, SA started the second half with only 14 men, however, they came back fighting to win the game by a single point, crushing French dreams by knocking the RWC hosts out.
South Africa finished 2nd in Pool B after winning 3 of their 4 pool matches. They beat Scottland 18-3 with a convincing performance and then annihilated Romania 76-0. Their winning streak was broken by Ireland who won 13-8 in what felt like a World Cup final atmosphere and SA then won 49-18 against Tonga in their final pool match to book their spot in the last 8.
The Boks have named an unchanged side much to the surprise of many fans who are concerned that some of the players will be fatigued after last week’s battle.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
These sides last met in Twickenham at the 2022 Autumn International where South Africa beat England 27-13. Of the side’s 7 most recent head-to-head matches dating back to 2018, South Africa has won 4 of the 7 including of course the 2019 RWC final in Japan. The teams’ average total points for their 3 most recent matches is 45.5
Handicap: South Africa (-13.5)
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Suggested Bet: Under 43.5 points at 19/20
This should be a proper attritional knock out match and there is some rain around
World Sports Betting have priced up on some interesting markets and one I am eyeing is “Most Tries Scored – Player Match Ups”
Suggested Bet: Marchant v Kriel the tie/draw at 15/20
In a tight match, I think there is every chance neither crosses the line
Note prices are correct at the time of writing but subject to change
