By Peter Ryan – @PeterRyanSports
This weekend, rugby action kicks off with a bang as Ireland takes on New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.
It is always entertaining when these two juggernauts take to the field.
Ireland will seek revenge for the 2023 World Cup, where the All Blacks sent them packing from France. New Zealand comes to Dublin with a point to prove after a narrow victory in Twickenham, in a game they could have won by an even more significant margin.
Both are sensational sides, and it looks like a close game; there are also some great betting options for the contest.
Ireland
Ireland enter the autumn as the number-one ranked side in the world today.
The reigning Six Nations champions will be looking to cement their spot at the top with a strong autumn; they will kick off their campaign against New Zealand, with meetings against Argentina, Fiji, and Australia to follow.
They are a very settled team, and there’s great chemistry within the Irish camp. The team is coming off a competitive summer tour in South Africa, where they managed to topple the Springboks in the second game of the series.
As stated before, Ireland will want to get revenge for the 2023 World Cup, as many people back in Ireland expected them to win the tournament, yet New Zealand eked out a narrow victory to advance.
The squad is relatively unchanged from the one that competed in that enthralling quarter-final. Of course, Jonathan Sexton has said goodbye to rugby since then, but Munster’s Jack Crowley has seamlessly transitioned onto the international stage.
Talent is abundant on Ireland’s side, with the likes of James Lowe, Hugo Keenan, and Bundee Aki all scheduled to start. Ireland is a well-rounded team, as shown by their statistics from the last five games.
Andy Farrell’s side has scored more than 20 points per game on average and conceded 20. Ireland will look to start the autumn season with a bang and feel confident playing in front of their home crowd.
New Zealand
There is always a special feeling in the air whenever New Zealand takes to a rugby pitch, and you can feel the history and tradition that runs through the veins of every player who wears the famous black shirt.
It was a close, hard-fought victory against England last week; New Zealand looked better than ever in some stages of the game, especially in attack, but ultimately struggled to maintain that quality throughout the full 80 minutes.
They come into this contest averaging 32.8 points per game over the last five encounters. Scoring points isn’t an issue for the All Blacks right now, but characteristic handling errors and conceding too many penalties are holding them back.
They will have to go without two key players on Friday; Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor have been ruled out of the contest.
However, New Zealand will not be short on firepower heading into the contest, with players like Will Jordan, Mark Tele’a, and Jordie Barrett looking to make an impact against the Irish.
An exciting battle to watch will be between the two blindside flankers, Wallace Sititi and Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne.
Sititi caused significant problems for England and was the best player on the pitch that day; he will look to do the same against a seasoned player like Beirne on Friday.
New Zealand will look to secure another outstanding victory against Ireland and will likely relish being labelled as underdogs.
The Bets
The game has some intriguing betting options, and the best bet seems to be that New Zealand will stay within six points.
The All Blacks go into the contest as underdogs, but the two sides are often evenly matched, with usually only a few points separating them.
There’s value in betting on New Zealand to win; the squad has so much quality, and they proved against England that they can secure a victory even when not at their best.
For those who like a long shot, Ireland to win by a margin between one and seven points is the bet for you.
It will be a close game, and if Ireland wins, it’s likely it won’t be a blowout.
Best Bet: New Zealand to stay within six points – 10/11
Value Bet: New Zealand to win – 2/1
Longshot Bet: Ireland to win by a margin between one and seven points – 3/1
READ MORE: Finlay Bealham and Ronan Kelleher start for Ireland against New Zealand
