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The 2024 Rugby Championship, which features the best national teams in the southern hemisphere, begins on August 10. Australia will host World Champions South Africa in Brisbane while the All Blacks welcome Argentina in Wellington.
New Zealand, a 20-time Rugby Championship winner, will be keen to defend their title when they welcome Los Pumas. The All Blacks won last year's downsized competition after winning all three matches against South Africa, Argentina, and Australia.
Typically, the teams meet twice, playing six games in total. Last year's tournament was cut in half to help countries prepare for the Rugby World Cup. South Africa won the World Cup in a hard-fought victory against New Zealand.
Although NZ is the perennial favorite in the upcoming series, the leading bookmakers in New Zealand think South Africa will clinch the Castle Lager Trophy:
South Africa—1.67 (60%)
New Zealand—2.38 (42%)
Australia—21.00 (4.76%)
Argentina—29.00 (3.4%)
South Africa leads the odds with a 60% implied probability of winning. New Zealand ranks second at 42% while Australia and Argentina are underdogs.
New Zealand: the Defending Champions
The stage is set for the All Blacks to prove their might in this year’s Rugby Championship. New Zealand has a strong team led by a manager who knows his way around the Castle Lager tournament.
The All Blacks have won this competition four consecutive times. They have also lifted the trophy in 10 out of the last 12 meetings. Although the team has faced a few challenges in the past year, it has what it takes to defend the title.
The All Blacks are fresh off a one-sided 47-5 thrashing against Fiji in the International Rugby Union. According to assistant coach Jason Ryan, his team has prepared for every challenge the teams in the RC will pose.
Can the All Blacks surprise the world by defeating favorites South Africa? If there's one thing New Zealand is good at, it is this: proving doubters wrong. NZ came in as the underdogs during last year's RWC. Yet, they reached the final and almost won it with a man down.
Players to Watch: Fullback Will Jordan will return to the All Blacks squad this August after a long injury. Other notable players in the squad include Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax, and Patrick Tuipulotu.
South Africa: Tournament Championships
South Africa is returning to the Castle Rugby tournament with a mission to end New Zealand's dominance in the competition. The Springboks last won the competition in 2019.
They have since reshuffled their coaching staff, a strategy that worked really well last year. Unlike NZ, the Rassie Erasmus-led men have had a great year in 2024. They rank first in World Rankings ahead of the Rugby Championship, two points clear of NZ.
Following the team's triumph at last year's World Cup, they've only lost one match. They lost their IRU game against Ireland. Then they bounced back with a strong 64-21 showing against Ireland.
Squad depth is one of South Africa's strong points this year. The Boks have more than five players sidelined with injuries. Yet, Coach Erasmus has no doubts his squad has all it takes to win the upcoming Castle Lager Series.
Players to Watch: Coach Erasmus is fielding his best players at last year's World Cup during this year's Castle Lager tournament. Captain Siya Kolisi, who plays as a flanker, RG Snyman (lock), and Kurt-Lee Arendse are all in the final squad.
Australia: the Underdogs
After crashing out of last year’s RWC in the group stages, Australia made several crucial changes in its squad. They hired a new coach, Joe Schmidt, and placed their focus on developing young players.
The new squad relies on moving the ball around quickly rather than heavy contact. Schmidt’s tactics seem to be working. The Wallabies thrashed Georgia 40-29 in the IRU in July. Previously, the team had back-to-back victories against Wales and Portugal.
With Australia poised to host the RWC in 2027, Schmidt’s main goal is to prepare a squad strong enough to win the competition at home. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not interested in the Rugby Competition.
Australia plans to line up the same squad that thrashed Georgia last month with only a few additions. Angus Bell and Max Jorgensen, who’ve both had injuries in the past few years, will be back in action over the weekend.
Players to watch: Marika Koroibete, a fast and powerful winger still in school, is proving to be one of the players to watch in the upcoming tournament. Other notable talents in the squad include Filipo Daugunu, Zane Nonggor, and Jeremy Williams.
Argentina: the Dark horses
Although Argentina joined the Rugby Championship tournament a bit late (2010), it has yet to win the competition. The Los Pumas have been working on fielding a squad strong enough to challenge perennial giants like the Boks and All Blacks.
Now, they have a mix of young and experienced players who’ve been playing passionately for their country. Last month, Los Pumas thrashed Uruguay 79-5 in the IRU as part of their preparations for the upcoming competition.
Argentina will hope to erase its poor record against higher-ranked competitors when its squad land in Brisbane. Bookies favored Los Pumas to shine in France during July’s series. But they flopped against France.
Their victory against Uruguay will boost their confidence heading into the Castle Lager competition. However, they need to beat the All Blacks away from home to prove they have a chance at winning the tournament. Los Pumas have two matches against NZ before returning home to host Australia at the end of the month.
Players to Watch: Efrain Elias, Argentina's U20 captain will get his first call-up to the senior team after an impressive record in the WC. He will play alongside Lucio Cinti, Tomas Lavanini, Joel Sclavi, and Martin Gonzalez.
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