Rugby Championship 2016 Odds and Preview – Rugby Union Betting

All Blacks can restore status quo in this year's Rugby Championship

Rugby Betting

New Zealand’s All Blacks haven’t lost a match since last year’s Rugby Championship and are a short price (a best 5/11 with bwin) to confirm their status as the best team in the southern hemisphere and, by inference, the world by winning the tournament in its current format for the third time in four years.

There is a score to settle with Australia, who surprised everyone when upstaging the world champions last year, but the new crop of All Blacks is starting to look just as devastating as the old brigade. There were fears that the retirement of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu would set back New Zealand but Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith have stepped up to the plate. Ardie Savea also looks a real talent and was much too hot for Wales to handle on their summer tour.

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Defending champions Australia are a general 6/1 to cause another upset but it’s difficult to get onside with the Wallabies after they were whitewashed by England on home soil in their summer series. Last year’s World Cup Final now seems like a very distant memory. Michael Cheika’s side start off in the Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand in Sydney but haven’t won that fixture for 13 years. Another defeat could scupper their defence of the Rugby Championship before it’s begun and this current Aussie team lacks star quality apart from Israel Folau and the brilliant-but-flawed Quade Cooper.

With little value in the outright betting for the Rugby Championship, it could be worth having a bet on the Straight Forecast betting at Ladbrokes, who make a New Zealand/South Africa 1-2 a 13/8 chance.

The Springboks are not easy to predict and were wooden spoonists last year in the tournament. Beaten by Japan in the World Cup last year and undeserving winners against Scotland, the ‘Boks were hardly convincing playing host to Ireland over the summer and Allister Coetzee has had injury problems to contend. But this competition looks an opportunity for some of the developing talent to emerge with scrum-half Faf de Klerk a particularly exciting prospect.

Argentina must now be considered a world force after reaching last year’s World Cup semi-finals but are still comparative minnows in the southern hemisphere. The Pumas are available at 80/1 in the outright betting but some of their experienced players are struggling to cope with expectation and a new adventurous style of play. Thumped by France over the summer, they will probably be on the wrong end of a few hammerings in this year’s Rugby Championship as well if lessons haven’t been learned.

Rugby Championship 2016 Current Best Odds

NewZealand (5/11), Australia (6/1), South Africa (7/1), Argentina (80/1)