New Zealand vs South Africa Preview & Tips - New Zealand backed for crucial win over South Africa in the Rugby Championship

South Africa secured a much-needed win over Australia in the second round of the Rugby Championship as they battled to a 30-22 win over the Aussies. 

South Africa have won six of their last 10 against New Zealand, with the All Blacks winning the other four. 

New Zealand seemed to be edging back towards their best in recent weeks, but their 29-23 defeat at the hands of Argentina have brought question marks up around this side. 

The All Blacks were sloppy with the ball in hand while they looked tentative in defence. In the face of an Argentinian side that looked slick with the ball, New Zealand were undone, and they saw any hope of moving clear at the top of the Rugby Championship table disappear. With all four of the sides in the competition losing once and winning once, New Zealand are still very much in the conversation to win the tournament this year. 

However, the gravity of their next two matches will not be lost on them. Two home games against South Africa is the ideal way to take on the world champions, but a defeat in their opener would pile the pressure on the All Blacks. Simply put, they have to win this week as they look to build a lead over the Springboks. 

While I do back the home side to take advantage of playing in front of their own fans, I do not foresee a comfortable win. Indeed, I back the winning margin to be very tight as New Zealand get back to winning ways. 

South Africa may have beaten Australia in their second match of the Rugby Championship, but they were hardly convincing. 

All the chatter at the start of the tournament had been around South Africa winning the competition again and putting a strong foot forward by beating the Aussies twice. However, they were humiliated by their hosts in a 38-22 loss in their first clash before the double world champions clung on to win 30-22 in the second meeting. 

While Australia are improving quickly right now, South Africa would still have expected to have won both games fairly comfortably. Their inability to win both opening matches shows they are far from unbeatable, and they will know they have a major battle on their hands this weekend. 

While I do not back a big defeat for the travelling side, I predict that they will struggle against an opponent that is desperate to wrestle the Rugby Championship crown back into their own hands.