South Africa v Argentina Prediction, Tips & Best Bet – Rugby Championship

We have a South Africa v Argentina prediction for you plus a breakdown of the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of the final weekend in the Rugby Championship.

This is the big one in the Rugby Championship this weekend as it is the final round and these are the only two teams that can win this year’s tournament.

Find out all you need to know about the game below including what Argentina need to do to win their first ever Rugby Championship.

How To Watch South Africa v Argentina

When is South Africa v Argentina

South Africa v Argentina is scheduled to kick off at 4.00 pm GMT on Saturday, September 28th.

TV Channel

This game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Mix in the UK and Ireland.

Who are the officiating team?

Referee: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand)

Assistant Referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Craig Evans (Wales)

TMO: Glenn Newman (England)

Foul Play Review Officer: Andrew Jackson (England)

Where is South Africa v Argentina

Mbombela Stadium, South Africa.

South Africa v Argentina Odds

World Cup Champions South Africa are currently priced at 1/25 to put right their shock defeat last time out. Argentina are 10/1 to repeat their heroics from last weekend while the draw is seen as a 33/1 chance.

Handicap Betting

South Africa: -19 @ 10/11

Argentina: +19 @ 10/11

Handicap Draw: -19 @ 18/1

Team News

South Africa Team News

Argentina Team News

South Africa v Argentina Preview

South Africa’s Form

The Springboks entered the 2024 Rugby Championship as reigning World Cup Champions following their victory last October which was their second successive victory in the biggest competition of them all after they also won in 2019.

They returned to action following a break in June when they were victorious by a 41-13 scoreline against Wales. That was followed by a thrilling series against Ireland where they won the opening game 27-20 before losing the second fixture 24-25 and finished up that tour with a 64-21 win over Portugal.

Their Rugby Championship campaign commenced with two comfortable victories against Australia 7-33 and 12-30. That was followed by their repeat games of the World Cup final where they defeated the All Blacks 31-27 and 18-12 to put themselves in a commanding position in the competition.

However last weekend they had a thrilling game against The Pumas and lost out by a slim 29-28 margin which means their Championship claims are in somewhat of jeopardy though all they need is a losing bonus point to confirm their 2024 Rugby Championship win.

Argentina’s Form

Argentina put in a decent showing at the Rugby World Cup where they finished 2nd in their Pool behind England, defeated Wales 17-29 in the Quarter-Final before they were outclassed by The All Blacks 6-44 in the Semi-Final and lost the 3rd place game to England 23-26.

They returned to action following the World Cup playing two games against France losing the first by a 13-28 scoreline but securing a huge victory 33-25 in the second test. They then concluded their tour with a 5-79 demolition of Uruguay.

Argentina commenced their Rugby Championship campaign with a thrilling 30-38 victory over the All Blacks though the return fixture saw them comfortably beaten by a reinvigorated New Zealand side 42-10. That was followed by a 19-20 defeat against Australia in their first head-to-head game but they won the return fixture comfortably by a 67-27 scoreline.

Argentina knew last weekend that they needed to defeat the Springboks to keep their trophy chances alive and that followed with a 29-28 win. To win the Rugby Championship Argentina must win with a try bonus point and ensure the hosts do not take a losing bonus point. A bonus point is awarded for scoring three tries more than their opponent, or for losing by a margin of seven points or fewer.

South Africa v Argentina Rugby Head-To-Head

All-Time Head-To-Head Record

South Africa and Argentina have played each other in Test Rugby on 37 occasions, from those games South Africa have won 32 times, Argentina have won 4 times and 1 draw has taken place.

South Africa have scored 1,2267 points to Argentina’s 720 from 148 and 69 tries respectively. The highest-scoring game and biggest winning margin was when South Africa won by a 73-13 scoreline which happened during the 2013 Rugby Championship at Johannesburg.

Head-To-Head Results Last Five Matches

2024: Argentina won 29- 28 in the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades

2023: South Africa won 13- 24 in the José Amalfitani

2023: South Africa won 22-21 in Ellis Park

2022: South Africa won 38-21 in Kings Park Stadium

2022: South Africa won 20-36 in Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades

Trends

South Africa have won 9 of the last 10 tests between both sides.

Key Players

Cheslin Kolbe – South Africa

In a Springboks side where the forwards often receive the bulk of the plaudits and attention (quite literally), Toulon Winger Cheslin Kolbe (30) is a very exciting attacking threat and has 96 points from his 36 caps for his country since debuting back in 2018. Cheslin is not only a prolific try threat, but his biggest asset is his ferocious pace which garnered plenty of attention at the Rugby World Cup.

Tomás Albornoz – Argentina

The Benetton Fly-Half (27) was first capped by Argentina at Senior Level only two years ago making his debut against Australia in the Rugby Championship. Since that debut, he has accrued 61 points from 16 tests which includes 1 try, 3/4 conversions and 1/3 penalties in their victory over the Springboks last weekend. Tomás is a very creative player who has the potential to.

South Africa v Argentina Prediction & Best Bet

Prediction: South Africa 25-20 Argentina

South Africa are the team to beat in World Rugby right now and their narrow defeat against Argentina doesn’t change that. All they need to claim silverware here is to earn a losing bonus point and it’s very difficult to see Rassie Erasmus's side not achieving that.

Argentina are no mugs demonstrated by their 2024 form where they have beaten New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the same season. Though their comeback win from 17-0 down last weekend was impressive it would take an even more impressive showing here to land a win not to mind the Rugby Championship.

I think this will be a tight game which will be enough for the Springboks in the end to claim the Rugby Championship.

Best Bet: South Africa Win by 1-12 Points @ 12/5

*Prices are subject to fluctuation.

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