2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview: South Africa vs. New Zealand

Last week’s Tri Nations opener between South Africa was all-out war. Starting in the first quarter of the game when All Black prop Brad Thorne introduced Springbok skipper John Smit to his elbow before spear tackling him as an afterthought, the game was more of a scrap than a rugby classic.

While Bryan Habana’s spectacular try in wet conditions helped South Africa win the style wars, it was the New Zealanders who dominated in every other department as they chalked up yet another win over their old enemy.

War of Words

The war of attrition didn’t end on the field though. No sooner had the crowd departed the Westpac Stadium then a war of words erupted between the Springbok and New Zealand camps.

The Kiwis are past masters at off-field provocation, and soon had South Africa on the ropes as management gave in to All Black baiting and started flinging accusations of racism at their hosts.

The ensuing verbal brawl succeeded only in making the Boks look like whingers, and the South Africans scored just one credible hit on their opponents by successfully citing Brad Thorne for his assault on Smit.

With hostility between the two sides at a peak, South Africa will endure an icy reception in Dunedin on Saturday. The Boks will go into the game as underdogs, and are likely to be compromised by the absence of John Smit as well as several unusual selections by coach Pieter de Villiers, which includes the benching of star fullback Conrad Jantjies.

The All Blacks, in contrast, look to be settling into their new team structure, and will know they have both the psychological and physical edge over their opponents.

2008 Tri Nations Betting – South Africa vs. New Zealand

Boylesports have opened 7 Tri Nations betting markets for Saturday’s encounter between New Zealand and South Africa. Match betting is sure to be a favourite amongst hard-line supporters of either team, however the best odds can be found in a selection of other exciting markets.

First tryscorer betting markets look to offer some great odds. Bryan Habana is priced 12/1 to score the first try of the game, while Siveni Sivivatu is priced at the same odds to score the game’s first try for the All Blacks. However in wet conditions, a punt on one of the forwards may be worth a shot, with bets on any of the props scoring the first try paying out over 50/1.

£200 Free Bets at Boylesports
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• Any more free bets will be available on the same basis (Total of 4 times to a maximum of £200

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