Scotland VS South Africa Venue: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Scotland VS South Africa Date: Sunday, November 10
BetXchange Scotland VS South Africa Odds:
History
This game has historically not gone well for Scotland, so South Africa is such a heavy favorite on Sunday. Scotland has won just once in its last 16 games against the Springboks, a win at this venue back in 2010. For that to change, Scotland must beat the team, which is widely regarded as the best in the world in its current form.
Scotland and South Africa played at the Rugby World Cup last year, and the Springboks won 18-3 in what was the Boks’ opening game of the tournament. At the break, the score was only 6-3 to South Africa, and Scotland will hope that minor adjustments in their playing style since then will allow them to stay with the World Cup winners for the full 80 minutes.
Scotland
The big news for Scotland is the return of the mercurial Finn Russell in the No. 10 jersey. Russell is one of two changes in the halves, with Ben White getting the nod at scrum-half. Blair Kinghorn returns on the wing as the Scots make three changes from the team that destroyed Fiji 57-17 in their first November Test last weekend.
The Scottish backline is as strong as it can be, with star centers Huw Jones and Sione Tuipolotu in the midfield and the explosive Duhan van der Merwe looking to cause problems for his birth nation on the other wing.
South Africa
Scotland must put this one away early. Rassie Erasmus has gone full Rassie, loading his ‘bomb squad’ with seven forwards to come off the bench at a time of his choosing. This forward power makes South Africa hard to beat, with Rassie having around 25 viable forwards to choose from who are top-class, even at the international level.
Being ahead of South Africa early means nothing. Not when players including Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch, and Pieter-Steph du Toit come off the bench in the 55th or so minute to completely change the game’s complexion. South Africa has an unmatched strength in depth, so Scotland needs to be ahead and out of sight by the middle of the second half to hold on for a famous win.
There are 11 changes from the team that played against Argentina in South Africa’s final Rugby Championship outing of 2023. It is a big day for No. 8 Kwagga Smith, who earns his 50th cap as he lines up as the starting No. 8. Smith has seen most of his Springboks appearances coming off the bench, so this is a nice touch for a player who is a hugely valuable member of the squad and who would be a nailed-on starter for most other nations.
Best Bets
I am probably betting on the winning margin here. South Africa’s dominance over Scotland will continue, but it is a game that will be tight for long periods. The Murrayfield crowd will also be a factor, pushing Scotland on as their energy ebbs and flows during the contest. I like South Africa to win by 1-10 points (19/10) or 11 to 20 points (12/5).
My slight lean is to 11-20 points, with South Africa scoring a late try to fall in that range.
