The 2021 Rugby Championship: Round 4 Predictions

After a couple of 1-match rounds, we have the prospect of a double-header at the same venue on the Gold Coast this weekend.

Here are my Rugby Championship predictions for Round 4.

New Zealand vs. Argentina

The All Blacks play the warm-up act in Queensland, and they’ve made 6 changes from the team that beat the Wallabies last weekend. They’ll face a decent Argentina side, but you just can’t pick against New Zealand at the moment and they will almost certainly win very comfortably. Prediction: New Zealand by 26

South Africa v Australia

Some people seem to think that the Springboks just have to turn up to win this match, but I don’t think they’ll have it as easy as they might expect. The Wallabies have warmed-up playing the All Blacks, who come at you from every direction, and whilst the South African side is extremely tough to overcome - as their World Champion status confirms - they don’t have quite as many dimensions as New Zealand. Cheslin Kolbe has been a key figure in the Boks’ success, scoring tries at crucial moments, but he is missing this weekend, and the loss is only marginally offset by the return of Duane Vermeulen. I’m tempted to go against the crowd and pick an Australian win, and then I see that there have been no Away wins in this fixture since 2013. Prediction: Australia by 4