RWC: Selection Headaches, North Vs South and More as Quarter-finals Loom!

The Rugby World Cup enters its business end with eight sides set to battle it out in the quarter-finals this weekend. All four matches will pit North vs South with all of the Northern Hemisphere sides priced up as favourites to go through to the semi-finals. This represents a bit of a shift in a tournament which has seen Southern Hemisphere sides lift the trophy in eight of nine finals, with England being the only Northern side to win the World Cup back in 2003.

The farcical nature of the draw means that two of the top four teams in the world will be heading home. Anyways, take a look at the fixtures below along with the betting provided by Hollywoodbets.

Saturday 14 October

Wales 5/10 | Draw 18/1 | Argentina 17/10 (17:00)

Ireland 8/10 | Draw 22/1 | New Zealand 21/20 (21:00)

Sunday 15 October

England 1/3 | Draw 22/1 | Fiji 5/2

France 17/20 | Draw | 22/1 | South Africa 1/1

Jacques Nienaber will have done plenty of head-scratching over the last two weeks. The return of Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am to the squad poses a significant selection headache for the Bok brains trust.

The former made a solid return to the Green and Gold against Tonga two weeks ago. Pollard was 100% from the tee against the Pacific Islanders and stood up well to the physical test posed by Ben Tameifuna’s charges. Whether he’ll start in place of Manie Libbok, whose goalkicking shortcomings have been spoken about endlessly in television studios and around braais alike, remains to be seen.

Am, meanwhile, hasn’t played since picking up an injury against Argentina in August. In his day, he’s arguably the best outside centre in the world. He’s a monster on defence by also possesses the sort of offloading ability that can unlock the most stubborn of defences. Jesse Kriel has performed admirably in his absence, but you can’t rule out Am coming straight back into the run-on side against the French.

Enough speculation, though! It promises to be an absolute thriller on the rugby front, and here’s hoping for a massive Bok performance! Away from the pitch, Hollywoodbets is giving you the chance to win a share of R70 000! To enter, take a bet to the value of R10 or more on Rugby Run Twins, the brand-new crash game featuring Odwa and Akona Ndungane. Make sure to opt in on the Hollywoodbets promotions page to ensure that all of your qualifying bets are entered into the weekly draws!

Of course, Hollywoodbets’ famous Spina Zonke Jackpot Race will be taking place on Saturday evening. With a share of R250 000 to be won on the evening, you’d be forgiven for getting involved in the race and giving the build-up to Ireland’s clash against the All Blacks a skip! Getting underway at 20:30, the race will see one player win R100 000; two more will score R50 000 each with a further 100 players each set to bag R500.

Source: Briefly News