Nations Championship Rugby Round 2 Predictions, Tips & Best Bets

We might be biased, but it would take a brave punter to bet against the All Blacks. They survived against France, but that was a better effort than their usual first test of the season. Rust is a real thing with the ABs, and punters should expect them to be much harder to beat against Italy, who suffered a shock loss to Japan in their opening game. It was a poor effort for Italy, who showed so much during the Six Nations. The -32.5 line is generous for AB backers, so we recommend jumping on. Look for Will Jordan and Leroy Carter to cave open the Italian defence, so include them in SGM bets to score tries.

A standout player for the Wallabies last week was Max Jorgensen. His tireless work put Australia into a winning position, and it wasn’t his fault that they lost. We expect him to have another big game for Australia, in what should be an open contest against France. It’s a tough game to predict a winner, but with Australia struggling with injury concerns, Jorgensen needs to step up and deliver with a try. The $2.05 odds for him to score a try are too good to leave out of rugby tips.

Punters get another generous line for Ireland against Japan. Ireland scored a tough win over Australia last week, which will do their confidence levels plenty of good. They never gave up the fight, and that bodes well for a big win over Japan. It’s tough to bet against Japan following their heroics against Italy, but playing in Newcastle is a tough draw, and the travel could catch up to them. We priced Ireland at -25.5, so the -19.5 line is worth including in Nations Championship multi bets this weekend.

It requires an 80-minute effort, but we’re backing Fiji to cover the +20.5 spread against England. Fiji didn’t play well when losing to Wales last week, but that was to be expected. They were always going to need match fitness to show their best, and although England is a tough matchup, we believe it favours Fiji’s style of play. They will play with power in the forwards and flair in the backs, and if England isn’t on their game, Fiji could pile on the points. Conditions in Liverpool, which is a ‘home’ game for Fiji, suit the Pacific Island nation, so take the +20.5 line.

A bruising battle is expected between South Africa and Scotland, but the Springboks should have too much scoring power for the visitors. They are one of the best teams in the world, if not the best, and their tactics are tough to contend with. Scotland showed great heart to beat Argentina last week, in what was their best performance in some time, but the Springboks are on a different level. The -17.5 line is our of our best best this week, and we have South Africa being ahead by 12 points at halftime before piling on the points late.

It’s tough to have confidence in Argentina following a loss to Scotland, and Wales could present a similar challenge. There isn’t much between Scotland and Wales in the way they play, and if the Welsh defence turns up to play, Argentina’s counterattack style of play could be negated. There is a chance that Argentina bounces back with a top performance, but we don’t think there is 17.5 points between them, in what is another generous line from the team at Betcha. Look for Wales to score early and have a chance to win late in the contest.