Rugby Championship Preview: Australia v New Zealand

[plloyd88]

This year’s bite sized edition of the Rugby Championship has been good to us. While Argentina may have not been quite at the races here's hoping that with the introduction of their own Super rugby franchise next year they will be able to consolidate as a team nationally and take a few more scalps. Nonetheless we always love to watch their pack produce masterpieces in the art of scrummaging and it’s been great to see Gonzalo Camacho made an impressive return to international rugby after a torrid few seasons of injury. He looked to be one of the most exciting wingers in this year’s competition and will be one to watch come October. The lead changed hands in the dying stages of both of the other two games. A spectacle for neutrals but gut wrenching for South Africans. All four sides have blooded new stars and it’s has made for quite to build up to the World Cup but they’re not quite finished yet. We’ve got two games left to preview, starting with the Wallabies v. All Blacks. Read on below:

[harry_rag]

[QUOTE=harry_rag;n3740618]Australia v New Zealand: 10 points on Hooper to score a try at 7/1 with Spreadex Edge of 35.81%, still backable at the next best 6/1 available in a few places. Still a few firms to put up their anytime prices so that price may be bettered but I'll take the risk. There may be more bets to follow but, so far, the only other player to make the shortlist was Pocock at 6/1 and he's an easy swerve on his stats.[/QUOTE] I'd just posted the above in the systems and strategy thread before I read your preview so maybe Pocock is a decent bet after all! My system selections are largely numbers based and are pretty much unencumbered by any actual knowledge of the sport itself! I swerved him because he's only scored 4 tries in 48 appearances for Australia and his only tries in his last 20 starts were the brace he scored against Russia in 2011. Hooper appeals more at the price as he has 8 tries in 44 appearances, 3 in his last 10 (including 1 brace) and 8 in his last 20 (2 braces). As I say above, not all firms have got prices up yet so I may have more bets closer to the game.

[harry_rag]

Skybet are going 15/2 Hooper so could have had an extra half point if I'd waited! I have had a small bet on the 100/1 they offer for him to score 2 or more tries as that seems a little generous.

[harry_rag]

[QUOTE=harry_rag;n3740822]10 points on McCaw to score a try at 7 on BF Edge of 51.2% after commission and still acceptable at the readily available 5/1 (though still a bit of 7 left as I type), Price movements conspire to make the only winner from the last set of fixtures a potential selection and I'm happy to back him again at the price.[/QUOTE] Another system pick that appeals given that he's scored in both of his last 2 games, 4 of the last 10 and 6 of the last 20. I've also bought Australia's hotshots at 24 with SPIN (25 points per Mitchell, Kuridrani, Ashley-Cooper or Folau try). They're 27 to buy elsewhere and I definitely think they're worth buying at a price where one try edges you into profit.