'The All Blacks are on fire': All Blacks vs South Africa preview

The global rugby landscape changed over the weekend as the All Blacks returned to number one in the world rankings after a two-year hiatus with a 36-13 win over Argentina.

The win came just hours after South Africa lost their second match in a row to Australia, which now leaves Ian Foster’s side ten points clear at the top of the Rugby Championship table with back-to-back matches between the world champions and world number ones now upon us.

When, where and how to watch the match
The match will kick-off at 19:05 (NZST) on Saturday September 25th at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville.

Ian Foster discusses the huge depth in the All Blacks squad after second win over Argentina

Ian Foster discusses the huge depth in the All Blacks squad after second win over Argentina

It will be broadcast on SKY Sport in New Zealand, Stan Sport in Australia, Supersport in South Africa, ESPN in South America and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Head-to-head

Saturday will be the 100th encounter between the two teams, with the All Blacks winning 59 matches and the Springboks winning 36 since their first meeting in 1921, with four draws. The All Blacks have won eight of the last ten matches between the two, although their last Rugby Championship Test ended in a 16-16 draw. The All Blacks won their last match, a pool stage clash in the 2019 World Cup, though South Africa went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.

Match odds from bet365

bet365 have the handicap on the All Blacks at -11, with 13/4 odds that Jacques Nienaber’s Springboks win. There are also 28/1 odds of the two sides producing a draw, as they did in their last Rugby Championship encounter.

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Prediction

Following the All Blacks’ impressive display against the Pumas on Saturday, South African journalist Mark Keohane said on Twitter that Foster’s side are “on fire,” with four bonus point wins from four.

However, he did not rule out a victory for the World Cup winners, but said it would be a case of “winning ugly” if they were going to get the victory. Though winning the Rugby Championship seems highly unlikely for South Africa, as they need to overturn a ten point deficit in the table and a points difference of 90, there is always a huge amount riding on this fixture and Saturday will be no different with the number one ranking at stake.

The @AllBlacks are on fire. If you love rugby, you simply have to have loved watching them in 2021 @RugbyChampionsh If you know rugby, you can’t but applaud the way they have played & what they have achieved. #Springboks #AllBlacks

— Mark Keohane (@mark_keohane) September 20, 2021

Any @Springboks success against @AllBlacks would be a case of winning ugly and at this juncture all of South Africa would take a win, no matter how it is fashioned. #Springboks #AllBlacks

— Mark Keohane (@mark_keohane) September 20, 2021

*Odds accurate as of 20/09/21. BeGambleAware.org 18+ Gamble Responsibly