South Africa VS Portugal Location: Free State Stadium
South Africa VS Portugal Date: Saturday, July 20
BetXchange South Africa VS Portugal Odds:
History
This will be the shortest and easiest history report I have ever written for BetXchange. In simple terms, there is no history between South Africa and Portugal on the rugby pitch.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams, a historic occasion for the fans in Bloemfontein. Portugal is a team on the rise. They wowed many at the World Cup last year in France with their pace, flair, and attacking talent.
This is a clash with an obvious gulf in class between the top-end talent. The Springboks are hurting after losing to Ireland last week on a last-second drop goal to tie the two-Test series at 1-1. There is some solace in retaining their No. 1 overall World Ranking, with Ireland getting closer on points in second place.
That defeat to the Irish means that the Portuguese come into this one in better form. The 16th-ranked team in the world won on African soil last weekend, taking down Namibia 37-22 in Windhoek. That match was played in front of a crowd of over 3,300 people at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, so it will be interesting to see how the Os Lobos players react if Free State Stadium is anywhere close to its 46,000 people capacity.
South Africa
This match is going to be ideal for the ‘Boks. While they would have loved to have beaten Ireland in the prior series to rubber-stamp their status as the best team in the world, playing Portugal will feel fresh. It is a match that begs for experimentation, with Rassie Erasmus casting an early eye towards the 2027 World Cup with his team selection. Don’t expect the big hitters to be involved in this one; they deserve the rest after a long and grueling season, mentally and physically.
This is likely a good thing, as the Springboks are down several starters after the Ireland games. The most serious injuries are to Mranco Mostert, who is out for the rest of the year with a broken leg, and to Malcolm Marx, who is out for an unspecified time with the same injury.
Seven uncapped players are in the squad, while Salmann Moerat will captain his country for the first time. Among the new faces that will see time are flanker Phepsi Buthelezi, hooker Johan Grobbelaar, and prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels. The Springbok production line keeps producing talent, and it will be interesting to see how these players step up.
Portugal
Tomas Appleton will captain Portugal for this monumental game in their country’s rugby history. He has recovered from a shoulder injury picked up against Namibia and will lead from the front. It will be interesting to see how they get on up front, as we know that Portugal has elusive runners in the backline when they can get the ball wide. Look for them to try to target the inexperience at hooker for South Africa to try to get a foothold in this game
Best Bets
The 36.5-point spread is massive. It comes down to whether you think Portugal will score as I see South Africa rolling up 50+ points as a host of new players aim to take their first steps towards a place on the 2027 World Cup plane. With that in mind, I like the ‘Boks to cover.
