Autumn International Rugby Betting Tips Week 3
All the British Isles have now gotten their Autumn campaigns underway, with England continuing their winning start under Eddie Jones and Scotland suffering heartbreak yet again while Wales and Ireland recorded victories.
Week 3 of the Autumn International series sees the Springboks take on the Italians in Florence, England looking to continue their winning streak under Eddie Jones against Fiji, Wales take on the talenet Japanese, Scotland hosting the Pumas, the Aussies who continue their Grand Slam quest in Paris against the French and the big one in Dublin, the All Blacks looking for revenge against the irish.
Betsafe pack down yet again with former Welsh International Shane Williams and leading rugby website Planet Rugby to help you cross the whitewash this weekend!
Ireland v New Zealand
Possibly the most anticipated fixture of the Autumn, Ireland shocked the world in beating New Zealand for the first time in 111 years in Chicago two weeks ago. Now the All Blacks visit Dublin looking for revenge, while the challenge for Ireland is to produce a similar, if not better, performance.
New Zealand had just broken the record for consecutive Test victories ahead of the initial meeting between the two sides, but were left stunned by the intensity and precision of Ireland’s display. The forwards fronted up and the backs had the skill to make the most of their hard work. What was most impressive, perhaps, was the way in which Ireland held their nerve when the All Blacks launched an inevitable comeback, keeping their composure to kill the game through Robbie Henshaw’s try – becoming only third team to score five tries in a single game against New Zealand.
Joe Schmidt’s men then followed up the win with a 52-21 success over Canada, but will be more than a little wary of a Kiwi backlash. Italy had the misfortune of facing New Zealand at the weekend and were the sacrificial lambs to the slaughter as the world champions scored 10 tries in a 68-10 win at the Stadio Olimpico.
If Ireland’s task of securing their maiden victory over New Zealand was daunting, the challenge of becoming the first side to earn back-to-back wins against the All Blacks since South Africa in 2009 is somewhat frightening, especially with world class locks Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock potentially returning.
Ireland start as 5/1 underdogs with Betsafe, while New Zealand are big favourites at 1/10. Even with a 14.5-point start on the handicap at 6/7, Ireland will need to be at their best once again.
France v Australia
Two sides with a history of producing high-scoring contests meet having come off the back of two vastly different victories. France got their Autumn underway with a resounding 52-8 victory over Samoa in Toulouse, while Australia repeated their dramatic World Cup victory over Scotland with a late 23-22 success at Murrayfield.
France remain infuriatingly enigmatic, but were at their best against Samoa and showed encouraging signs of producing the attacking philosophy and flair which veteran head coach Guy Noves is trying to restore. Former sevens star Virimi Vakatawa bagged a hat-trick, while Wesley Fofana served a reminder that he can be one of the most dangerous centres in Europe on his day.
Australia boss Michael Cheika may be concerned by the amount of trouble Scotland caused his side, but will be hugely encouraged by the way in which his players managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, despite being reduced to 14 men for the final 10 minutes. All appeared lost when Will Skelton was sent to the sin-bin, only for Tevita Kuridrani to cross in the 76th-minute, allowing Bernard Foley to break Scottish hearts for the second time in 12 months with his nerveless kick at goal.
Scotland actually outscored Australia three tries to two, and France will be confident they can trouble the Wallabies. The question remains whether they can be tough enough up front and eradicate their own defensive lapses and errors which have scourged their displays in recent years.
One of the toughest matches to call this weekend, Australia start as slight favourites at 1/2 with Betsafe, with France at 3/2. Les Bleus narrowly edged the last encounter between the two sides, winning 29-26 in 2014. The 3.5-point start the hosts have been given on the handicap at 6/7 could prove crucial.
England v Fiji
It is a sign of just how far England have progressed under Eddie Jones that they managed to end a 10-year winless run against South Africa and were still unhappy. England ran in four tries and scored the second-most points they have ever scored against the Springboks in the 37-21 victory, but the message from the players and coaches remains that the performance wasn’t quite up to the standards they have set themselves over the last 12 months.
In all honesty they are correct, which is remarkable given the country was still reeling from the embarrassing Pool Stage exit of their home World Cup last year. England rarely had to move out of first gear against a poor South Africa side and conceded two disappointing second-half tries.
However, there were plenty of positives in the livewire performance of scrum-half Ben Youngs, excellent return of Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury in the second-row, and accomplished debut of Elliot Daly at outside centre.
The talk ahead of the Autumn was how England would cope with such a lengthy injury list. The talk now is of the strength in depth and competition for places Jones has at his disposal.
Fiji, meanwhile, were thrashed 40-7 by the Barbarians on their last outing, and are massive underdogs at 24/1 with Betsafe. The Pacific Islanders are renowned for their entertaining style of play but England boss Jones has warned Fiji they are going to be “bored” to death by the hosts.
“When they get bored they don’t want to play,” Jones added. “And when that happens you get points against them. We’re going to win the game and I want to win it conclusively.” It’s hard to disagree with him. England start at -38.5 points on the handicap at 6/7. If Fiji conceded 40 points to the Baa-Baas, England could cut loose.
Best of the rest
Elsewhere this weekend there is the hugely intriguing fixture between Scotland and Argentina at Murrayfield.
As has become custom under Vern Cotter, the Scots were mightily impressive against Australia, only to still lose after failing to hold on to a late lead with a numerical advantage. Despite the disappointment, Huw Jones, who plys his trade with the Stormers in Super Rugby, produced a superb home debut at centre, scoring twice, and adds to an already dangerous backs department containing the likes of Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell.
Likewise, Argentina also lost narrowly in a 24-20 defeat at Wales, with Leigh Halfpenny’s boot the only difference between the two sides. The Pumas have improved out of sight since entering the Rugby Championship and are marginal favourites at 9/11 at Murrayfield. Scotland can be backed at 19/20 off scratch or with a 1.5-point start on the handicap at 3/4.
Wales, meanwhile, have the chance to build some momentum following their win over Argentina as they host Japan. Alun Wyn Jones’ return has given Wales a huge boost, while Liam Williams also impressed as they ended a run of five-consecutive defeats.
As Japan proved with their historic win over South Africa at last year’s World Cup, they cannot be taken lightly, but Wales will be confident of overcoming a 25.5-point deficit on the handicap at 6/7.
South Africa have the opportunity to secure a morale-boosting victory as they visit an Italy side still reeling from the thrashing they suffered at the hands of New Zealand. With the Springboks so out of form, however, Italy may tempt some punters with a 19.5-point start on the handicap at 6/7.
About Rob Conlon
Rob Conlon is a contributor for PlanetRugby, widely regarded as one of the biggest rugby websites in the world which offers news, previews, live scores and analysis.
