RWC match-day 2: Australia v Fiji, France v Argentina, New Zealand v South Africa odds, predictions & tips

We move into the second day of the Rugby World Cup and a few of the heavyweights of the tournament will blow out the cobwebs.
The highlight of the day of course is the New Zealand-South Africa clash. They have one of the great rivalries in rugby, with the Springboks arguably the biggest rivals of all for the All Blacks.
What a match it will be and leading international bookies after offering more than 100 markets on each match so you won’t be short of options.
But first we get to see how the Wallabies are going to turn out against a tough opponent in Fiji. No Israel Folau these days but the Australians are always ready to shine at the World Cup.
And the middle clash between Argentina and France may well decide which of these two bruising teams makes it through to the quarter-finals. We expect a close clash at Tokyo Stadium.

Check out our team previews to get the latest form, our tips for leading try-scorer from each team and where we think they will finish in the tournament.
Australia
Fiji
Argentina
France
New Zealand
South Africa

Here are our free picks, odds and predictions for day 2 of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

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Match 2: Pool D – Australia v Fiji

Kick-off: 1.45pm local time (GMT +9)
Venue: Sapporo Dome
Head to head odds: Australia $1.12, Fiji $6
Handicap line odds: Australia (-15.5 points) $1.91, Fiji (+15.5 points) $1.91
Australia v Fiji prediction: The good news for Fiji is that they have won twice previously against Australia; the bad news is that those wins both came in the 1950s! The Wallabies have won the past 14 matches between the sides, most by a comfortable margin. We expect the trend to continue here. While Fiji have plenty of pace and flair they are unlikely to math the Australians for discipline around the breakdown. We expect Australia to grind out a solid win, without racking up a cricket score.

Best bets for Australia v Fiji RWC2019 match

Australia -15.5 points at $1.91

While we think the Australians don’t have too many points in them in this match, their defence is always pretty solid. We see them winning by 20-odd points after a tight first 20 minutes.

Match total under 51.5 points at $1.95

As mentiomed, while we don’t think Australia have been in great form their defence is resolute.

Match 3: Pool C – France v Argentina

Kick-off: 4.15pm local time (GMT +9)
Venue: Tokyo Stadium
Head to head odds: France $1.78, Argentina $2.03
Handicap line odds: France (-0.5 points) $1.83, Argentina (+0.5 points) $1.95
France v Argentina prediction: While the French are favourites with betting sites, we can sense an upset brewing here. France struggled earlier this year at the Six Nations tournament, winning just two from six, and as a result have ballooned out to over $35 to win the Rugby World Cup. We are predicting Argentina’s powerful scrum to get them home in a close one here, in a match that could well determine who joins England (who we think are locks to make it) in the quarter-finals out of the tough group C.

Best bets for France v Argentina RWC2019 match

Ramiro Moyano to score a try for Argentina

Paying around $4 to score a try any time during the clash against the French, Argentinian star Ramiro Moyano is one of the most exciting players in the world. We’re tipping him to have a big game first-up on the biggest stage of all. We also like the fact that instead of starting at fullback, he’s likely to be given a run on the wing for the Pumas and be given plenty of chances with ball in hand.

Argentina to win by 1-12 points

While this market may vary from bookie to bookie, we are predicting Argentina to win this one in a close one. While we looked at WilliamHill.com for this bet, most betting sites will have something similar. We can’t see either team blowing the other off the park, and France have just done nothing to convince us that they are in form. So for us, the Pumas by 1-12 points look about right with the odds for this bet at $2.80 at time of writing.

Match 4: Pool B – New Zealand v South Africa

Kick-off: 6.45pm local time (GMT +9)
Venue: International Stadium Yokohama
Head to head odds: New Zealand $1.45, South Africa $2.75
Handicap line odds: New Zealand (-5.5 points) $1.95, South Africa (+5.5 points) $1.85
New Zealand (Best NZ betting sites) v South Africa (Best ZA betting sites) prediction: What a mouth-watering clash this, with the two teams at the top of betting to win the whole tournament. You can track South Africa’s recent improvement by the fact in the past four matches between these sides the margin has never been above two points, with two wins to the All Blacs, one to the Springboks and one draw, earlier this year. One of the matches of the tournament and not to be missed whether you are betting on it or not.

Best bets for New Zealand v South Africa RWC2019 match

South Africa +5.5 points at $1.85

We expect another titanic tussle. The winners will most likely top the group but don’t be surprised if the losers regroup to finish second. There is so much at stakes here.

Cheslin Kolbe (SA) to score a try at $2.80

The guy is lightning. Just give him a clear run and it’s all over.

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