Nations Championship Rugby Round 2 Tips & Predictions

The All Blacks survived a late scare to beat France last week, but it will be a much easier contest against Italy. The Italians failed to beat Japan last week, which was a shocking loss for the Six Nations outfit. Rebounding with a good performance against New Zealand is unlikely, hence the +32.5 line for the visitors. New Zealand has made some changes to the team that faced France, and it should allow for more expansive rugby. Covering the -32.5 line should come easily to the All Blacks, who have put up big scores on Italy over the last few meetings.

It’s going to be a tough game for Australia after losing some key players in a heartbreaking loss to Ireland last week. However, we expect a big game from Max Jorgensen, who never gave up last week. He had a big game for the Wallabies, and his hard work could pay off with a try. The $2.05 odds are better than taking a spread bet on the 7.5 line, which is a tricky line for punters to take. Back Jorgensen to put Australia on the board early in the game, and he tends to play his best at Suncorp Stadium, which was showcased during Super Rugby Pacific. He is Australia’s hardest-working player in the backline, so he is a good try scorer bet.

Ireland used their get out of jail free card against Australia last week. They fought back bravely to win at the death, and it bodes well for the rest of their Nations Championship campaign. They now face Japan at a neutral venue in Newcastle, and the -19.5 line is lower than expected. Japan scored a win over Italy last week, but Ireland is different gravy, and their forward pack should overpower Japan, forcing their scrum to give away penalties. We pick Ireland to win by at least 25 points.

Fiji has been somewhat shafted by the draw. This game is played in Liverpool, and it counts as a home game for the Fijians. Despite the bad management, they could give England some problems with a +20.5 start. Fiji didn’t play well last week, but they will bring the physicality to England, who could take them too lightly. Warm temperatures are expected, which helps Fiji, who are used to playing in extreme heat, and England isn’t the might and power that it used to be.

South Africa is still the dominant force in world rugby, and they should have their way with Scotland. The Springboks have named a quality team to take on Scotland, and the likes of Canan Moodie and Edwill van der Merwe could run rings around the Scottish defence. We’re not discounting Scotland’s win over Argentina last week, but playing South Africa in Pretoria is as hard as it gets, so the Springboks should score a dominant win and cover the -17.5 spread. The travel will also have an impact on Scotland, so this is one of the best Nations Championship bets this week.

Losing to Scotland was a bad way to start the Nations Championship for Argentina, and we don’t like their chances of bouncing back. They should beat Wales, but punters should expect a close game in San Juan. Argentina is a team that needs everything to go their way, and if their handling isn’t good, turnovers come thick and fast. That’s where Wales can pounce, and although Wales has steadily fallen down the world rankings, a big performance in Argentina will see their confidence return. The +17.5 line is big enough to bet on Wales with confidence.