The fiercest rivalry in Rugby Union takes place in the semifinals of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with New Zealand taking on South Africa in a renewal of their bitter, storied rivalry.
The All Blacks are looking like the best team on the planet with a complete thrashing of France in the quarterfinal. Meanwhile, the Springboks showed that they won’t bow down to defeat after coming from behind to win their clash against Wales.
Read on as we take a look at this monumental clash between two of the world’s best rugby powers. Then, brush up the other half of the Rugby World Cup semifinals with our complete preview for Australia vs. Argentina.
New Zealand has looked exceptional thus far in this year’s World Cup. The team topped its pool after putting up double-digit beat downs on its opponents with an average margin of victory of 34 points. The All Blacks then made sure to continue that trend against France in the quarterfinals, winning 62-13 in an emotional match.
[sc:Other240banner ]New Zealand has six players ranked first in seven different categories in the tournament. Julian Savea has scored the most tries (eight) among all players. Daniel Carter has the most conversions (19). Kieran Read has stolen the most lineouts (five). Ben Smith has the most metres made (400).
It’s going to be very tough to get past these All Blacks. What makes New Zealand very devastating is its unstoppable offense. The All Blacks have scored the most tries in the tournament (34), eight more than the next team on the list. It owes its offense to the aforementioned Savea, while Nehe Milner-Skudder isn’t too far behind with five huge tries of his own.
Milner-Skudder should be able to help pace New Zealand in the upcoming match by utilizing his size and speed. He also has excellent offloading skills to keep the All Blacks’ offense flowing against South Africa.
New Zealand has won 10 of the last 12 matches against the Springboks.
Betting on South Africa
No team has a better win percentage against New Zealand than South Africa. The Springboks have won 35 Tests against New Zealand dating back to 1921. They also own the series lead in World Cup matches, winning two of three contests, including the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final.
South Africa isn’t looking too much of a world rugby power this year, though. The Springboks were on the losing end of an upset for the ages in the first match of the Pool Stage against Japan. They also had to come from behind in their quarterfinal matchup against Wales, with Fourie Du Preez scoring a 75th minute try in order to win the match.
Handre Pollard and Bryan Habana power the Springboks’ offense. Pollard has scored the most points for South Africa (64) and has converted the third-most penalties in the tournament (14). Meanwhile, Habana has been able to score plenty of precious tries (five) – just three less than New Zealand’s Julian Savea’s tournament-high. To add, Schalk Burger has also been solid on the offensive, having the second-most carries over the goal line (35) in the tournament thus far.
It’s not just all offense, though; Lodewyk De Jager has been a solid tackler for South Africa. He has the second-most tackles made (60) in the tournament, and his involvement in the game against the All Blacks will be more pivotal than ever.
Writer’s Prediction
New Zealand finds itself in a pretty competitive match, but still makes its way to the World Cup final with a hard-earned victory over the feisty Springboks. Create a betting account now and cash in on the remaining matches in the Rugby World Cup.
