International Rugby Predictions – 1 November

Bookending the clash in London are mouth-watering showdowns between England and the Wallabies at Twickenham, and Ireland and the All Blacks in Chicago.

Who will start the month of cross-hemisphere Test rugby on the right note? Check out our predictions below…

England v Australia

Saturday, 1 November – 17:10

Two teams on the upward swing will square off in what should be a titanic tussle at Twickenham to kick off the Nations Series.

Here down South, rugby fans are more familiar with the Wallabies and how they’ve improved this year. They gave the vaunted British & Irish Lions a tougher fight than most expected, losing the three-Test series 2-1, and produced an all-time great comeback to stun the Boks 38-22 at Ellis Park before beating the Pumas 28-24.

They couldn’t close out the Rugby Championship like they wanted to, though, dropping both games against the All Blacks, and only narrowly got back in the win column last weekend in Tokyo, where they triumphed 19-15 against Japan. Joe Schmidt will field a stronger side this week, but injuries will nevertheless leave the Aussies light in the pack.

England have lost just one of their eight games so far this season, a 27-22 defeat to Ireland in Dublin in their Six Nations opener. Their 26-25 victory over France, who went on to win the Northern Hemisphere showpiece, showed not just their improvement but also their ability to beat any team on any given day.

At the end of the day, England’s superior tight five should power them to a hard-fought win.

Prediction: England by 4.

Suggested Bet: Australia +9 at 1.90.

Japan v South Africa

Saturday, 1 November – 18:10

With the Springboks being on top of the world, having clinched back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time in their last outing to add to their successive World Cup titles and cement their place atop the world rankings, and next weekend’s blockbuster clash against France looming large, some may think South Africa might be overlooking lowly Japan. That, I assure you, is not the case.

If you think an elephant has a long memory, it’s nothing compared to that of a proud Springbok. A decade ago, the Brave Blossoms lived up to their moniker and sent shockwaves through the rugby world with a stunning 34-32 win over the Boks on the biggest stage of them all.

“The Miracle of Brighton” remains the greatest upset in rugby history and was masterminded by none other than Eddie Jones, who’s now back in his second term as head coach of Japan and looking to shock the world once again. The Boks have set the record straight since that 2015 World Cup shocker by winning the next two meetings 41-7 and 26-3, the latter coming in the 2019 World Cup quarter-finals, but they’ll forever be wary of Japan and are especially dialed in with the wily Jones at the helm again.

The Japanese gave an understrength Wallabies side a scare last weekend and will be dogged, but Rassie Erasmus’ Boks are levels above them and should claim a convincing win.

Prediction: South Africa by 30.

Suggested Bet: Japan +38 at 1.90.

Ireland v New Zealand

Saturday, 1 November – 22:10

Similar to the Japan-South Africa game, the clash in Chicago is rooted in history. It was in 2016, at the very Soldier Field where the teams will do battle on Saturday, where Ireland beat the All Blacks for the first time ever.

Very little has separated the sides in their nine meetings since the Irish’s historic 40-29 triumph that day in the USA. The men in green went on to claim a first-ever series win on New Zealand soil in 2022, but it’s the Kiwis who hold a slender 5-4 lead.

The All Blacks hope to turn their American nightmare into the American dream this time around and enter the encounter having won the last two games in this budding rivalry. They did so as underdogs on both occasions, first dumping the Irish out of the 2023 World Cup with an epic 28-24 quarter-final victory, followed by a 23-13 win in Dublin last year.

Scott Robertson’s men lost to the Pumas in Argentina for the first time (29-23) and suffered a record 43-10 defeat to the Boks in this year’s Rugby Championship, but they did end their campaign on a positive note with back-to-back wins over the Wallabies (33-24 and 28-14).

They are a work in progress, sporting a 7-2 record for the year, while Ireland have a 6-1 record in 2025, their sole defeat coming in the Six Nations decider against France (42-27). The Irish are not the formidable force they were a few years ago, yet they still think they are.

This is the start of a potential Grand Slam tour for the All Blacks. Add the revenge factor for their previous meeting in America, and I think the All Blacks will want it more and edge out the win.

Prediction: New Zealand by 2.

Suggested Bet: Ireland +6 at 1.90.