05 Oct 2023 / admin

New Zealand vs Uruguay Prediction and Betting Tips

🏈 Rugby World Cup 2023 Match Preview

⏰ 5 October 2023 - 20:00 GMT +1

⏰ 6 October 2023 - 05:00 AEST

🏟 Stadium - Parc Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon)

The mission is not quite accomplished yet for Australia’s Wallabies, who need to match Italy’s result (including bonus points) in the final Pool A matches to keep their perfect record of reaching the quarter-finals in every Rugby World Cup. While a loss to Tier 2 Fiji seems just as unlikely as Italy beating hosts France after their 96-17 thrashing by the Wallabies, it means this match can't be treated as a mere training run.

But with the second of hopefully five games in five weeks, managing workloads will be key. The fringe Wallabies are still far superior to Tier 2 sides, as shown by their 71-3 smashing of Namibia in Round 2 when coach Michael Cheika made nine changes from the team that lost to Wales. Except for skipper Michael Hooper returning from injury off the bench last week, and keeping Marika Koroibete and Reece Hodge in the backs, it’s largely a second-string XV this week.

That was their ninth straight win against Tier 2 opposition since the 2015 World Cup, with a crazy 78-8 average score despite rarely fielding a first-choice XV. As for their history with Fiji, there isn’t any. Australia opened a 1976 South American tour by beating Fiji 64-3 in Montevideo, but no official Test since.

Fiji aren't mathematically out of top three contention yet. Thanks to head-to-head as the first tiebreaker, beating the Wallabies with a bonus point would see them jump into third spot, booking their place at the 2027 World Cup. But the Fijians know their chances of winning are slim, having already achieved their goals of impressing against the top sides when pushing France close in a 27-12 loss, and securing just their fourth World Cup win ever against Namibia.

It was far from straightforward, scoring 24 of their 36 points with a man advantage in the 36-26 victory. Without 15 players on the park, Namibia may well have won. Captain Dominiko Waqaniburotu said they're playing "for the region", and can't be accused of lacking pride and persistence lately.

Assistant coach Simon Raiwalui played against Australia for Fiji in the late 90s and knows what to expect, stressing to his players the need to stay intense for 80 minutes. "I remember games we had under control, but the Aussies can turn it around in just a couple of plays," he said after a tough training session. But he acknowledged the size of the task ahead: "Playing evenly with Australia is very tough. The pressure isn't on us."

📋 Players to watch:

Winger Marika Koroibete has scored tries in three Wallabies games this year.
Fijian hooker Sam Matavesi has crossed the line in his last three Tests.

⚡ Match Facts:

Australia has never lost to Fiji, leading the all-time series 14-0. Their last meeting was a 45-10 win in 2017.
Fiji's last win against Tier 1 opposition was in 2018 against France. They have lost their last 6 matches against Tier 1 teams.
Australia has won 9 straight games against Tier 2 opposition, outscoring them 611-40.
Fiji has the second most potent attack among Tier 2 teams at this World Cup, averaging 26 points per game.
Australia has scored the second most tries of any team so far with 24, behind only New Zealand.

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💡 Match Prediction:

Based on the team lineups and past results, it appears the Wallabies are heavily favored to win this match against Fiji. Australia has a strong record against Tier 2 opponents, winning their last 9 matches by an average margin of 78-8. Their fringe players are still of a much higher quality than Fiji's.

While Fiji put up a good fight against France, losing by 15 points, Australia defeated France by 3 points with their first-choice lineup. Fiji was also challenged by Namibia, needing a man advantage to pull away. This suggests they could struggle to keep pace with even Australia's reserves.

Betting Tips: