2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview

South Africa vs. Australia - Durban, 15:00 local time

South Africa’s 2008 Tri Nations campaign is rapidly turning into a debacle. Led by a coach whose ineptitude at press conferences is matched only by his lack of technical nous, the Boks are staring down the barrel of another defeat in Durban on Saturday.

While the coach was quick to apportion blame to the referee for South Africa’s duck against New Zealand, it was obvious to most spectators outside the Republic that the referee could not be held culpable for the Boks squandering possession with botched kicks, nor the senseless game-plan that allowed Richie McCaw to effortlessly pillage rucks.

Australian fetcher George Smith is probably itching to have a go at the breakdown on Saturday, and unless the Boks realize that questioning the integrity of referees is unlikely to have substantial impact on the number of Springbok forwards present at ruck time, chances are the Australians will enjoy a steady supply of ball to their talented back line.

All or Nothing

Whether or not the Boks manage to patch up their game plan in time for Saturday’s test match, the Australians can still expect a tough physical encounter at the ABSA Stadium in Durban. The stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for the Wallabies, who have generally struggled to beat South Africa at home.

Both teams will enter the match knowing that a loss will effectively end their Tri Nations campaigns. South Africa are already all but out of the running, with only a slim chance of other results swinging the Tri Nations title in their direction, whereas the Australians will have the Tri Nations trophy by one handle if they manage to beat the Boks on Saturday.

Head to head stats covering the last five Tri Nations tournaments show that the South Africans have a slight statistical edge over the Australians, with eight victories to the Wallabies’ seven. None of the Wallaby victories have been achieved on South African soil.

2008 Tri Nations Betting – Australia vs. South Africa

Paddy Power has opened 10 betting markets for South Africa’s penultimate Tri Nations match. Markets include handicap betting, winning margin betting and double result betting.

Rugby fans looking for the best Tri Nations odds need look no further than the exact winning margin betting markets. Prices start at 20/1 for a 3-6 point wins by South Africa, while punters can earn 50/1 payouts on their bets if South Africa win by 19 points or more. Odds this high enable punters to place several bets to increase their chances of earning a profit from their returns.

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