New Zealand vs Australia
18th October 0400hrs
Rugby – New Zealand – Bledisloe Cup
Pick Draw
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 04:07 GMT Friday, 16th October
Eden Park in Auckland is one the great rugby venues in the world. It is the spiritual home of the All Blacks and that is where they will be on the weekend.
Game 2 of this 4-test series for the 2020 Bledisloe Cup happens in the early hours of Sunday, October 18th (UK Time).
The first clash between the great rivals a week ago churned up an absolute classic. It was a 16-16 tie between them in Wellington.
Will the All Blacks be able to claim the win at Eden Park in a match that will be in front of an almost sell-out crowd?
Table of Contents
New Zealand Preview – All Blacks can win on Eden Park return
This will be a special moment for New Zealand as they step out at Eden Park once again.
They haven’t played a home game there since 2017 when they thrashed Australia 36-0.
The first match of this 2020 Bledisloe Cup series was the first match for New Zealand since losing to Wales at the 2019 World Cup.
It was also the first match for the new All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and it was nearly a disastrous start too.
New Zealand had to claw their way back to rescue a draw after falling behind to the Wallabies in the 74th-minute of the game.
Remarkably there were 9 minutes of overtime played in the fixture and neither could break the deadlock, but Australia missed a shot at goal to win in.
So the All Blacks will have been mightily relieved to have gotten away with no being beaten.
But on the other side of the coin, they should also have built up a comfortable lead in the first half.
Rieko Ioane dropped the ball trying to touch down for a second early Kiwis try which would have moved them 15-3 up.
Of course, it has been a long while since international rugby was seen, so there is bound to be some ring rust around.
In the case of New Zealand, they are finding their way under a new head coach as well. But if the drama of that match is anything to go by, we are in for a cracking series.
New Zealand are the long 4/25 odds-on favourites for this match, because rarely do they ever lose at Eden Park.
The last time that they did suffer a defeat there was in 1994 against France.
For a much more reasonable rugby betting odds option, a New Zealand -15 handicap is at 10/11* (odds taken 04:07 GMT Friday, 16th October).
In the overall head to head with Australia, New Zealand are W115 L44 with 8 drawn.
Australia Preview – Can the Wallabies raise their game further?
Australia also have a new head coach, with Dave Rennie taking charge for the first time in the opening match of this series.
The Wallabies will probably take a lot of heart from that opening result, but at the same time rueing a big chance at scoring an upset.
It was in the second minute of overtime that James O’Connor missed a shot at goal to win the fixture for the visitors.
But in the end they deserved a lot of credit for the way that they fought back after falling further behind early in the second half.
Tries from Marika Koroibete and Filipo Daugunu touched down for Australia in their fight back, and the scoreboard was helped along by O’Connor.
However, there is the issue here for them of playing at Eden Park.
The last time that the Wallabies won a fixture at the venue was back in 1986.
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
It’s easy to sum up just how difficult of a task it is there, but looking at last year’s meeting between the two nations.
In the final match of the 2019 Rugby Championship, Australia, with home advantage in Perth tore New Zealand apart, being them 47-26.
A week later they faced them in a Tour match at Eden Park and were in turn, demolished themselves 36-0.
Two games one week apart, the difference maker, the Eden Park factor.
In the match outright Australia are 9/2 odds-against to take the victory* (odds taken 04:07 GMT Friday, 16th October).
In the last ten meetings between the two nations, Australia have claimed just the two wins over their great rivals.
There are a lot of younger players coming through the Australian ranks here and that helps with them not getting overawed by the weight of history.
But it’s not likely to stop the Wallabies suffering a defeat at the venue once again.
New Zealand vs Australia Betting Advice
We fully expect a New Zealand victory to turn up in this fixture now. They have had a chance to get some air in their lungs, and get rid of some ring rust.
They are likely to be sharper and with a partisan crowd behind them, it has to be the home win that we are looking at here.
The missed chances that happened for them last weekend are not likely to be repeated.
Key Facts – New Zealand vs Australia Betting Tip
- New Zealand haven’t lost at Eden Park to Australia since 1986
- New Zealand are unbeaten at Eden Park since 1994 (France)
- Australia missed an overtime penalty to win last week’s match
So we are going with a New Zealand 11-20 option in the Winning Margin market at 5/2* (odds taken 04:07 GMT Friday, 16th October).
That sounds reasonable to us. Australia has a good coach in place and a very good crop of younger players.
They can be pleased with their work done in fighting back against the Kiwis in the second half last week.
But still, the win at the end of the day, managed to elude them as it probably will on the weekend.
The best betting odds for New Zealand vs Australia
New Zealand to win: 4/25 at Bet365
Draw: 25/1 at Bet365
Australia to win: 9/2 at Bet365
