New Zealand VS Argentina Location: Sky Stadium, Wellington
New Zealand VS Argentina Date: Saturday, July 10
BetXchange New Zealand VS Argentina Odds:
History
The All Blacks host Los Pumas at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, the first of two Rugby Championship matches between the two nations this tournament. The following week, the two rivals play at Eden Park, with New Zealand hosting both matches in a bid to cut down on tournament travel.
Not surprisingly, New Zealand has owned the head-to-head matches against Argentina through the years. The two countries first met in 1976 and have played 41 rugby Test matches. Argentina has only beaten the All Blacks twice in those 41 games, with their 25-18 win over New Zealand in Christchurch in 2022 being their first-ever win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.
Argentina will be looking to avenge their last meeting. The All Blacks thumped Los Pumas 44-6 in the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final in Paris. This result led to a sour ending after a great tournament for Argentina, so they will want to strike back here to prove a point.
New Zealand
New Zealand is still working its way through the retirements and sabbaticals that some of its star names took at the end of the 2023 World Cup. The big miss is fly-half Richie Mo’unga, who is playing in Japan, but Damian McKenzie was very good in the two-test series against England and keeps his place here.
Injuries to locks have compounded the selection issues Scott Barrett and Patrick Tuipolotu, back-rower Luke Jacobson, and fullback Stephen Perofeta. Lock is a major concern, with those injuries adding to the holes left by Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock.
Toupu Vaa’i (28 caps) and Sam Darry (one cap) get the starting nod at lock, making this the least experienced position group on the park. Ardie Savea will look to provide leadership as he captains the team from No. 8, while TJ Peranara returns to the starting lineup after missing the last Test against England. There will also be a welcome return when Will Jordan comes off the bench.
Argentina
Los Pumas are in good form. They drew their July series with France and then walloped Uruguay 79-5 in a record victory.
It is a full-strength team, with Pablo Matera returning to captain the team from the back row and Santiago Carreras looking to cause the All Blacks problems from the fly-half. The clash between Carreras and McKenzie is certainly eye-catching, with neither playing as a typical distribution-only fly-half and each having all the tools to make something out of nothing in the game.
Toulouse new boy, Efrain Elias, will get his first taste of full-level international rugby from the bench. The 5-foot-7 lock/back row was the Argentinian captain at U20 level earlier this year, and now the 19-year-old is set to make the step up against one of the best sides in world rugby.
Best Bets
It will be interesting to see if any new law trials around speeding up the game come into play. The extra protection for the scrum-half around the base of a ruck is a welcome change and should lead to clearer distribution and line break opportunities.
Conditions are going to be wintery. This favors the Argentinians, especially given the makeup of their bench. I like New Zealand to win, but Argentina will have enough to cover the 16.5 points.
