Round two of the 2023 Rugby Championship is set to be the pivotal week in deciding the winner of this year’s edition of the Southern Hemisphere’s elite Rugby Championship. 

Two dominant victories in round one proved once again that South Africa and New Zealand are a step of their fellow SANZAAR stablemates. 

South Africa’s comprehensive dismantling of Eddie Jones’s Wallabies in Pretoria was followed by a black wash in Mendoza as New Zealand blitzed Argentina. 

Without ever really having to get out of second gear, the two winning sides will know that they will need to step it up a gear when they meet tomorrow in Auckland.

Two hours after the Championship will likely be decided, Australia and Argentina will take to the pitch in Sydney. 

Both sides, whilst already on the back foot will understand that a win is non-negotiable should they harbour any hopes of a run at the title. 

South Africa vs New Zealand 

Referencing the points above, this is the clash that will likely decide this season’s champion and, with it, first bragging rights in what is a momentous year. 

Clearly, the two sides feel this is the biggest match of their Championship, as their selections attest to. 

Starting with the Springboks, who showed their hand early by sending several front-line players to New Zealand a week early. 

Rotating their squad heavily for their clash with Australia was initially seen as a risk, but a 43 – 12 win proved just how deep the South African talent pool is at the present moment. 

In every area, South Africa out-hustled and outsmarted the Wallabies and showed a new wrinkle to their attacking game. 

Central to this was flyhalf Manie Libbok who brought a distribution and running game that has been absent in this Springbok set-up until now. 

Whilst first-choice Handre Pollard remains on the sidelines with injury, Damian Willemse will get a crack at the flyhalf position this weekend with Libbok on the bench. 

Similar to Libbok in his approach to the game, Willemse is a lethal runner and passer of the rugby ball. The key difference between the two, however is the physicality that Willemse brings to the position due to his sheer size and strength. 

What he perhaps lacks in Libbok’s control, Willemse’s ability to spark an attack from nothing, is arguably better than his Stormer’s teammate. 

On the other side of the tracks, New Zealand has done the opposite to South Africa as they revert back to a more controlling flyhalf for the clash. 

Damian McKenzie’s combination with Beauden Barrett in round one had the All Blacks attack running smoother than any other point over the past twenty-four months. 

Despite this, McKenzie is dropped for this clash, with Richie Mo’unga returning to the starting line-up. This would appear to have been a pre-planned selection and is no slight on McKenzie. 

Mo’unga was once again exceptional for the Crusaders in their Super Rugby title run this season and looks to be firmly entrenched as the first choice number ten heading in the World Cup. 

The one question mark surrounding the Crusaders' playmaker is his ability to gel with veteran Beauden Barrett who looks nailed on as the first-choice fullback this year. 

The Rugby Championship Team Of The Week Round One

Appearing to stagnate each other, Mo’unga’s downfall as a starter this season could well be the presence of Barrett. As a true distributor, he appears to operate better with more of a strike runner at fullback than a second playmaker. For evidence of this, one only has to look at his combination with Crusaders teammate Will Jordan. 

Whilst the battle of the halfbacks will make for fascinating viewing, the forwards will decide this clash. 

In this area, the Springboks, on paper, have a clear advantage both in the starting department and on the bench. 

The famed ‘bomb squad’ looks as dangerous as ever, whilst the Kiwi bench looks untested and thus unproven. This is not to say there aren’t quality players on the bench for the men in black, but as the like of Ireland, France, and the Springboks have shown over the past three seasons. This All Black pack can be dominated at the point of contact, unlike any we have seen over the past decade. 

Writing the All Blacks off comes with a disclaimer; in normal circumstances, it would be completely inadvisable.   

Yet, the cracks have been seen over the past three years that this is far from a vintage squad. Beating an Argentina side that was so far wayward in the first half of round one that they were unrecognizable from the team who won in New Zealand last year proves little. 

Certainly, the All Blacks have more than a puncher's chance, but this Boks squad should have too much firepower. South Africa by 6. 

The teams

New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot

Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Braydon Ennor, 23 Caleb Clarke 

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Duane Vermeulen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok 

Date: Saturday, July 15

Venue: Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland

Kick-off: 19:05 local (08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)

Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Pierre Brousset (France)

TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales) 

Australia vs Argentina 

Avoiding the wooden spoon just once since joining the southern elite in 2012 does not tell the full story of Los Pumas. 

Having now defeated every team in the competition, Michael Cheika’s side knows they can secure a result. Consistency has unfortunately been their Achilles heel, and round one’s blowout loss to the All Blacks was further evidence of their inability to build on what was a positive 2022 campaign. 

The Eddie Jones era could not have gotten off to a worse start for the Australians as they feel heavily to a more than slightly rotated South African side in round one. 

Therefore, coming into this weekend, taking into account form is a rather pointless exercise, given how poor both sides were. 

On paper, the Wallabies have a stronger squad of individuals who, to this point, have yet to gel, which is understandable given the upheaval in the coaching ranks. 

One significant area of concern for Jones and his team is the lack of an in-form, proven flyhalf. Breaking down this statement into two parts, they have both styles of playmakers in 

As has often been the case when his pack is not on top, Cooper was completely anonymous in round one, with his usual razzle-dazzle absent. 

Gordon, on the other hand, offered a sprinkling of gold dust when he came on and was rewarded with a well-taken try. 

Despite this, Jones appears to be easing the 22-year-old into international rugby and has opted to select Cooper once again. 

Likewise, in the scrumhalf birth, veteran Nic White starts ahead of Tate McDermot once again despite struggling mightily in Pretoria. 

Whilst the two young halfbacks in McDermot and Gordon look to be the future, the secondrow partnership or Richie Arnold and Will Skelton have the makings of a world-class pairing heading into the World Cup. 

The two giants have made their names in the European top leagues and are widely regarded as two of the best second-ows in the Heineken Champions Cup and Top 14. 

It is no surprise that Jones was so keen to get both men back in gold, and whilst they didn’t set the world alight in round one, there is a feeling of it being a matter of time before they are dominant. 

Reverting to Argentina, their head coach is all too familiar with what Jones and the Wallabies will bring on Saturday. Having coached Australia for five years, Michael Cheika knows several of the players intimately. Throw into the mix his time spent at the famous Randwick Rugby Club with Jones as a player, and one gets a clear picture of how intertwined the two squads are. 

This familiarity should lend itself towards a close contest, as does the results between the two sides over the past couple of seasons. 

However, the Australian players are all too aware of how much the sport is struggling in the face of the National Rugby League and Australian Rules competitions. Once regarded as one of the most popular sports down under, Rugby Union in Australia needs the Wallabies to be successful. Not only this, but they need to show some level of style and typical Australian flair. 

This weekend will mark the re-birth of Australian Rugby, and whilst they remain a step behind the Springboks and All Blacks, they will assert dominance over Los Pumas. Australia by 12. 

The teams

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Jed Holloway, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Richie Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 David Porecki, 1 James Slipper (c)

Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Pone Fa’amausili, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Josh Kemeny, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Carter Gordon 

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo

Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Matias Moroni 

Date: Saturday, July 15

Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Kick-off: 19:45 local (10:45 BST, 09:45 GMT)

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)

TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)