Four of the top rugby teams in the world will be competing in the upcoming 2024 SANZAAR Rugby Championship that starts in two weekends, and recent results promise an exciting six weeks of brilliant rugby.
SANZAAR confirmed in June 2022 that the 12-match schedule for The Rugby Championship (TRC) would comprise an innovative 'mini-tour' format that is a departure from the previous home and away structure that had been in place since 2012.
This year the All Blacks will visit South Africa on their two-week tour which could give the World Champions just the edge to win the 2024 Championship.
The four teams had a good start to 2024 with Australia and the All Blacks unbeaten while the Springboks and Argentina lost only one test each.
The Springboks had a mixed bag of results, beating Ireland and losing a week later, as well to Ireland, before they faced Portugal this past weekend. The Springboks completed the Castle Lager Incoming Series with a commanding 64-21 win over Portugal (half-time 29-7) at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday evening, scoring 10 tries. Seven players made their debut against Portugal which is not expected to play a big role in the Rugby Championship apart from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Argentina had also won and lost in the test series against France, and this past weekend blew Uruguay away at the Domingo Burgueño Miguel stadium in the city of Maldonado, Uruguay. Los Pumas defeated Los Teros by a crushing 79 to 5 in the last match of the international window of July Copa Visa Banco Macro. The team led by Felipe Contepomi scored 12 tries and the novelty of the afternoon was the official debuts of Joaquín Moro from Bahía Blanca, who scored two goals, and Francisco Coria Marchetti from Tucumán, who also had his baptism with a try. They became Pumas #892 and #893, respectively.
The All Blacks made it 2-0 in its Series over England and were too strong for Fiji in a rare outing in the USA and remain unbeaten in July. Scrum power ensured the All Blacks were untroubled for all but a few moments in their 47-5 Steinlager Ultra Low Carb Test in San Diego against Fiji on Saturday. The All Blacks' impressive scrum effort was backed by a much tidier lineout display. They relished the chance to build their plays while also introducing six new players to Test match play.
The Wallabies had a dream start to 2024 with two wins over Wales at home. The Wallabies have survived a minor scare this weekend to take a 40-29 win over Georgia in Sydney. At moments, it looked like Australia would run away with the contest as their forwards dominated the contest.
However, Georgia kept fighting and found themselves down by two points heading into the final 20 minutes. It presented the opportunity for the back row to close out the game as Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini crossed for doubles. A late Georgia try gave the visitors hope but Australia hung on to secure the win.
Fixtures:
10 August 2024
06:45 Australia vs Springboks at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
09:05 New Zealand vs Argentina at Sky Stadium, Wellington.
17 August 2024
09:05 All Blacks vs Argentina at Eden Park, Auckland.
11:55 Australia vs Springboks at Optus Stadium, Perth.
31 August 2024
17:00 Springboks vs All Blacks at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg.
21:00 Argentina vs Australia at Jorge Luis Hischi Stadium, La Plata.
07 September 2024
17:00 Springboks vs All Blacks at DHL Stadium, Cape Town.
21:00 Argentina vs Australia at Estadio Brigadier Estanislao López, Santa Fe.
21 September 2024
07:55 Australia vs All Blacks at Allianz Stadium, Sydney.
23:00 Argentina vs Springboks at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Sgo. del Estero.
28 September 2024
09:05 All Blacks vs Australia at Sky Stadium, Wellington.
17:00 Springboks vs Argentina, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
