The second game for the All Blacks in the 2023 Rugby World Cup will be against Namibia – the match is on the 15th of September, with the Stadium de Toulouse as the venue for the contest.
These teams met in both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup pool stages. New Zealand ran out a comfortable winner on both of those occasions. Is there any hope for the African nation, or will they be in for another challenging day? We’ll guide you through the two teams and where to have a bet – all that plus a prediction for the New Zealand vs Namibia match.
Where can you find the best odds for this match?
Many bookmakers will offer prices, but who are the best ones to go to? Pinnacle is one of the most interesting – they pride themselves on providing high limits to punters. New Zealand will be short odds in this match, so anyone offering a high limit may be helpful.
10bet and Stake.com might be a little off the radar of many punters. However, they have a wide range of markets available, including handicaps. They seem sure to be popular on the New Zealand vs Namibia game, with the underdogs getting a big start.
When it comes to the more prominent names on the market, then William Hill and Betway are the way to go. Both offer a vast range of different markets when it comes to rugby betting. More importantly, the pair offers very competitive prices. Price is king when it comes to any sport, so it is crucial to have plenty of options open to you.
New Zealand in the Spotlight
There are no teams in the history of rugby to strike fear the way the All Blacks have. A long and storied history has made them the most successful rugby nation. They are three-time winners of the Rugby World Cup in just nine times the tournament has been played. No team has a record that comes remotely close to that of the All Blacks.
The current crop of players lacks the sheer class of the likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw. They do have a desire to overcome some of the recent criticism of their performances. A win over Namibia won’t silence the noise, but it would boost the team’s confidence.
Namibia in the Spotlight
This will be the seventh Rugby World Cup appearance for Namibia. They have yet to make it out of the Pool stages and even win a game at the tournament. Officially they drew Canada in 2019 when their match was cancelled due to a typhoon.
Aside from that, their closest defeat came 17-16 against Georgia in 2015. Namibia will be a massive underdog once more in Toulouse.
Player Overview
The return to fitness of Anton Lienert-Brown for the 2023 Rugby World Cup is a big plus for New Zealand. He has produced more than a point a game when he has played for the All Blacks. That includes a pair of tries when New Zealand took on Namibia at the last Rugby World Cup.
A pair of tries on his All Blacks debut against Scotland put Mark Telea quickly on the map. He’s battling injury, but this game could be a huge confidence booster for the winger with speed to burn.
Wian Conradie was the man to secure Namibia’s place in the tournament. He scored three tries against Kenya as they were crowned Rugby Africa champions. It would be a massive day for him if he could add another try to his record against the All Blacks.
The current captain of Namibia is Johan Deysel. This will be his third Rugby World Cup. Nine tries for his country from just 24 caps is an excellent record. Fans in France will be familiar with his work for Colomiers. Could that give him a boost in this New Zealand vs Namibia matchup?
New Zealand vs Uruguay Predictions
This should be a relatively easy game to finish Pool A for the All Blacks on paper. It should be a match where some of the big boys get a bit more rest ahead of the quarter-final stages and give some of the younger talent in the squad the chance to have a bit of the limelight.
Leicester Fainga’anuku has a weight on him as the 1200th player to gain an All Blacks cap.
He only saw a few minutes off the bench against France but started the Namibia game. A try under his belt against Namibia should see him full of confidence. This could be an excellent opportunity for him to get some more minutes on the pitch.
Uruguay have managed to get a win on the board that came against Namibia. That game was far from plain sailing for them, in a 14-0 hole within 12 minutes. They showed character to come back to win 36-26, but it was hard work against the weakest team in Pool A.
Baltazar Amaya has had a coming of age at the World Cup. He had not scored a point in his first eight caps but has three tries in the tournament. The 24-year-old will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to put points on the All Blacks.
It’s tough to see anything other than a win for the All Blacks here. Although unlikely to field their strongest team, they should have far too much talent for Uruguay. The South Americans will just be looking to keep things as tight as possible for as long as possible.
They did that against France, so expect it to be close for the first half at least.
