Predictions: Hutch's Rugby Championship Round 1 Picks

The Rugby Championship gets underway this weekend with the Wallabies in South Africa and the All Blacks in Argentina, and it looks set to be a closely-fought competition.

Here are my Rugby Championship predictions for Round 1.

South Africa v Australia

The Wallabies finished strongly in their series with the Lions, but I’m not sure how much to read into that because the Lions started strongly and then faded badly and their performances in the second two tests were average at best. It will have served to boost the visitors’ confidence, however, and they ought to be better-prepared for this level of contest than the Springboks.

But this is at Ellis Park at altitude against the best team in the world, who have beaten them convincingly in their last four meetings, and this is only going one way and it’s all about the margin. The Springboks' bomb squad on the bench looks a little less convincing than usual, but it should still be enough to see them home fairly comfortably.

Prediction: South Africa by 13

Argentina v New Zealand

The Pumas will have high hopes in this competition having beaten every other team in 2024, and they’ll be targeting a win in their opening match at home. However, they were a little disappointing in their series against an under-strength England side, and on paper the visitors look significantly stronger. The All Blacks were pushed hard by a second-string French squad in their recent Test series, but they won 3-0 and I think they’ll win this opening match too.

Prediction: New Zealand by 7

How do your picks compare?