After a weekend off to relocate the Rugby Championship to the Pacific, the next two weekends could prove decisive in deciding the winners of this tournament.
The four teams are separated only by bonus points through two games and any lost ground over the coming weeks could prove costly.
Round 3 kicks off with Argentina taking on Australia in Townsville on Saturday afternoon before the heavyweight bout between New Zealand and South Africa from Eden Park.
Find out who we are backing in our game previews below.
Pardon the pun, but the Pumas are in for a warm welcome in Townsville this weekend.
However this is not the first time these sides have met at this venue, with the Wallabies recording a 27-8 victory in September 2021.
While the Argentine side is coming off a confidence boosting win over New Zealand, their record in Australia is not exactly great.
Not to mention the Wallabies starting to win back some public trust on the back of the Lions series and splitting the games in their tour of South Africa.
It won’t be by the 19 point margin from four years ago, but I do like the Aussie’s chances of getting a much needed win as they look to keep pace with New Zealand and South Africa on top of the table.
While we may feel obligated to tune into the Australian game, this is the true must watch encounter of the Rugby Championship in 2025.
South Africa was able to dust themselves off in Round 2 by beating a gallant Australian team, but they will have to execute at a much sharper level when they take on New Zealand at the Eden Park fortress.
History is not on the Springboks’ side however, with the reigning world champions, having only played one game in New Zealand in the last five years, a 35-20 defeat in 2023.
That recent history also leans into this game being a hard fought, low scoring contest and despite the free scoring nature of the tournament so far, this might be a race to 20 points.
Three of the last four meetings have had less than 50 points scored with the most recent meeting ending 18-12 this time last year.
It really could go either way and this game will come down to discipline and kicking accuracy, with points and scoring opportunities at a premium.