The number one and number two team in the world have reached the pinnacle of rugby as they both look to become the first nations to raise the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time. Continue reading for our 2015 Rugby World Cup Final Preview and Betting Tips.
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Australia vs New Zealand (Sunday 2am AEST)
These two nations face off in one is arguably one of the biggest rivalries in sport. They first met way back in 1903 with New Zealand winning that match and continuing their dominance for the majority of the time since. In the 154 times they have faced off the All Blacks have came out on top 105 times with the Wallabies only being victories on 42 occasions with 7 ending in draws. Australia has only one win in their last 12 meetings but they came in the Rugby Championship earlier this year before they were ambushed in the Bledisloe Cup decided where they didn’t field their strongest side. However, in World Cups it is Australia who has the upper hand winning two of the three matches.
The Wallabies scrum has taken a hit in its last two matches after being dominant throughout the pool stages. They will need to get it back to a position where they can use it as a strength against the All Blacks as they can’t afford to be losing in the key areas such as the scrum, line out and break down. If they are to match it with New Zealand in these three areas it will go a long way towards them picking up the victory.
The line out showed a lot of improvement against Argentina, as they were able to hold their own. Whilst the breakdown should be an area where Australia can get an advantage with David Pocock, Scott Fardy and Michael Hooper all being brilliant at making the tackle and jumping up and putting pressure on the ball handler. Pocock has been rated as the best player in the world right now and he was able to force turnover after turnover, which allowed for the Australians to turn defence into attack. Fardy also played the best game of his career with damaging run, hard hits in defence and being an extra player at the breakdown to cause havoc. Meanwhile Hooper had a game that was below his standards and as the vice captain he will be wanting to bounce back and make more of an impact against the trans Tasman rivals. Another Wallaby to play below par was Israel Folau, throughout the match he made uncharacteristic plays of putting the ball onto his foot rather than tucking it under his arm and making his normal damaging returns. He is a great player and he will be dangerous with a chip off his shoulder, as he will look to make a point in the final.
The All Blacks are the best in the world for a reason but they have never been able to demonstrate this off their home soil in a World Cup. The two titles they have claimed were in New Zealand whilst Australia has lifted the cup twice in Great Britain. The inside centre position could be the biggest hole to fill for the Green and Gold with the much smaller Matt Giteau coming up against the wrecking ball Ma’a Nonu. The New Zealand centre has ball skills and can be creative whilst still being able to throw the dummy and run himself, which keeps the defence in two minds. If they hold off him he will make the Australians pay.
Coach Michael Cheika will realise this and off set pieces he will shuffle the back line to restrict the impact the bigger New Zealand centres will have against the Wallabies.
Despite being the defending champions, the All Blacks showed they still have the jitters in finals after they were forced to claim the cup the hard way against France as they won by the narrow margin of just one point in a low scoring 8-7 match. Throughout the game missed penalty goals and dropped balls saw France given a rule chance however they just managed to hold on for the win.
If they show these nerves again then Mr clutch Bernard Foley won’t make the same mistakes as the French and the Wallabies will cause an upset.
Adam Ashley-Cooper has been the vocal point of the attack for the Wallabies and he managed to score a hat trick in their latest match against Argentina. If he gets the ball with a bit of space out wide then he will make it count.
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
