Australia vs. South Africa Rugby Betting (September 3): Will the Wallabies win and go top of the Rugby Championship table?

The other fixture in this weekend’s Rugby Championship action sees Australia face off with South Africa in Sydney after a win in Adelaide last week.

Australia was one of the pre-tournament favourites to win The Rugby Championship. Although they haven’t had things all their way, they are in the running for this year’s title. With a win on Saturday, they could go into the next round of matches at the top of the table depending on the outcome of the New Zealand vs. Argentina fixture.

If the Wallabies can play at their best and win this match, they will boost their chances of finishing top while keeping the Springboks rooted to the foot of the table.

Australia vs. South Africa Match Information and Betting Odds

Match Information

• Australia has won two and lost one in this year’s Rugby Championship. With nine points, they are level with Argentina at the top of the competition table.
• South Africa has lost two and won one, and with four points from their three fixtures, the Boks sit bottom with just four points from three matches.
• Venue & Location: Sydney Football Stadium (Sydney, Australia)
• Kick-Off Time: 5:35 a.m. Eastern Time

Australia vs. South Africa Betting Odds

Odds are from BetOnline.

Moneyline

• Australia -115
• Draw +1700
• South Africa +110

Spread

• Australia -0.5 (-116)
• South Africa +0.5 (-106)

Aussies aim for more after Adelaide win

There is very little between the teams on paper, which is reflected in the betting with a competitive market, although we did expect Australia to be favored after last weekend’s triumph.

Last five results for Australia

• South Africa (home): won 25-17
• Argentina (away): lost 48-17
• Argentina (away): won 41-26
• England (home): lost 21-17
• England (home): lost 25-17

Australia’s recent form leaves a lot to be desired and doesn’t inspire confidence in them getting a win this weekend, but there’s more going on than first meets the eye.

The hosts have won only two of their last five, but two of those three losses came against England and we aren’t convinced South Africa is on par with the Red Rose.

The Aussies were beaten 48-17 by Argentina in a bit of a mauling, and it sent fans into a rant against the team, players and coaching staff.

But Argentina has proven to be the dark horse in this year’s Rugby Championship, and they are sitting pretty atop the table for a good reason. They are the team to beat for now, and Australia should dust themselves down.

The best way to bounce back from such a crushing result is to make a timely return to winning ways, something Australia did in their most recent bout when downing South Africa by a score of 25 points to 17 last Saturday.

McReight scored two tries, with the other provided by Koroibete, and we expect both men to be fit and firing ahead of this game.

The only way is up for South Africa

It has been a forgettable campaign for South Africa, and they can be found rooted to the bottom of the Rugby Championship table with time running out to turn things around.

After three games played, SA are fourth of four teams with one win and two defeats against their name. Mathematically, they could still win the competition, but based on their performances thus far, that appears highly unlikely.

They started with an impressive win over New Zealand but have not built off of it.

The Wallabies piled on the pressure in last week’s 25-17 win, as the Springboks matched their opponents for long periods of the game but were outfought at crucial stages of the contest.

Last five results for South Africa

• Australia (away): lost 25-17
• New Zealand (home): lost 35-23
• New Zealand (home): won 26-10
• Wales (home): won 30-14
• Wales (home): lost 13-12

All to play for in Sydney

There’s all to play for here, and these teams are so evenly matched on paper that a strong case could be made for either winning the match.

But we have no idea why South Africa started out as the pre-match betting favourite earlier this week. They certainly have not done enough in their last two matches to deserve it, and the shift is odds is warranted after the performance Australia put in last week.

Yes, the Springboks are capable of winning if they show more than they did in Adelaide. But just as we backed Australia last week, we’re backing the Wallabies to win again and potentially move to the top of the table.

Australia vs. South Africa Prediction: Australia to win

Australia vs. South Africa Betting Tip: Australia win (-115 at BetOnline)

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