Rugby Championship Predictions – Round 1

The South Africans are aiming to win back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time ever, while perennial champions New Zealand seek to regain the silverware.

The All Blacks, who start their campaign against the Pumas in Cordoba on Saturday, are slight title favourites at 1.90, with the Boks carrying odds of 2.10. Australia and Argentina are seen as also-rans with odds of 12.00 and 29.00, respectively.

South Africa v Australia

Saturday, 16 August – 17:10

The Boks have had the Wallabies’ number in recent years, winning four on the trot dating back to 2022, and haven’t lost to them on South African soil since the 14-9 defeat in Durban in 2011. The men from Down Under have also only beaten the Boks once at Ellis Park, all the way back in 1963, when they triumphed 11-9.

Add the fact that the Boks are in their greatest-ever era as back-to-back world champions and the Wallabies are ranked sixth in the world, and it’s easy to understand why Rassie Erasmus’ charges are overwhelming favourites. And yet, the Boks aren’t underestimating their visitors.

After starting their 2025 season with a last-gasp 21-18 win over Fiji and dropping the first Test against the British & Irish Lions 27-19, the Aussies showed great fight and were much-improved in the two remaining fixtures against the Lions. They were moments away from squaring the series, only to suffer a heartbreaking 29-26 loss, and dominated the third and final Test, winning 22-12.

That victory in Sydney was a massive confidence-booster for the Wallabies, especially considering they bullied the Home Nations all-stars, leaving them and their fans to believe they’ll be able to stand up to the physical challenge of the Boks. The men in Green and Gold are different beasts altogether, though.  

Their power and depth are unmatched, and the backline Erasmus has gone with for Saturday’s showdown has pace and x-factor aplenty. After kicking off the season with comprehensive wins over the Barbarians, Italy (twice), and Georgia, expect the Boks to shift into a higher gear and shore up their breakdown work to emerge as emphatic winners.

Prediction: South Africa by 20.

Suggested Bet: South Africa -18 at 1.90.

Argentina v New Zealand

Saturday, 16 August – 23:10

Which Pumas will pitch up? That’s the main question going into this clash. Will it be the determined side who stunned the Lions 28-24 in their season opener, or the listless lot who lost back-to-back Tests at home against an understrength England outfit?

They’ll be reinforced by a number of key players who missed the English encounters, so they’ll be stronger on paper, and it stands to reason they’ll be more motivated as they look to build on a successful 2024 Rugby Championship in which they beat the All Blacks, Boks, and Wallabies once each for the first time in a single campaign.

Coming off a 52-17 win over Uruguay, the Pumas plan on ambushish the All Blacks, and having defeated them three times since 2020, there’s belief within the squad that they can pull off another upset.

The Kiwis made quite a fuss about France sending a second-string squad to the Land of the Long White Cloud in July, only to be thoroughly tested in two of the three Tests. Yes, they managed to sweep the series, but with an average pack, they still seem vulnerable.

Having said that, they’ll know the Pumas will want to take them on physically, and they’ll have the muscle to power them to victory with a fair amount of breathing room.   

Prediction: New Zealand by 10.

Suggested Bet: New Zealand -9 at 1.90.