{"id":30631,"date":"2026-07-10T23:16:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tab.co.nz\/punters\/?p=30631"},"modified":"2026-07-10T23:16:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:16:37","slug":"nations-championship-rugby-week-2-predictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tab.co.nz\/punters\/2026\/07\/nations-championship-rugby-week-2-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Nations Championship Rugby Week 2 Tips, Predictions & Best Bets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Nations Championship continues this week, kicking off with the All Blacks vs. Italy in Wellington on Saturday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a public holiday weekend in New Zealand, and punters could celebrate with an ABs win, who should get the round started with a win against the struggling Italians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have Nations Championship Round 2 tips, predictions and best bets for all six games this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand vs Italy Predictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
New Zealand<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Italy<\/div>\n
Saturday 11th July 3:10 PM (AEST) at HNRY Stadium, Wellington<\/div>\n
New Zealand -32.5 @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

It was mission achieved for Dave Rennie and the All Blacks last week. They weren\u2019t convincing when beating France by two points, but the All Blacks always come out rusty in the first test of the season. Rennie has made changes to the team to face Italy, and it should be an easy victory. Italy suffered an embarrassing loss to Japan last week, and that form won\u2019t be good enough to cover the +32.5 spread against the ABs. We expect a one-sided game to start the week, so include the All Blacks -32.5 in Nations Championship multi bets this week.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n New Zealand vs Italy<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

Australia vs France Predictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Australia<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
France<\/div>\n
Saturday 11th July 5:40 PM (AEST) at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane<\/div>\n
France -7.5 @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

It\u2019s tough to bet against our Aussie neighbours, but after losing a heartbreaker to Ireland last week, they could have a hangover. It was a tough loss for the Wallabies to stomach, and they arguably deserved to win the game. Two missed kicks in the final five minutes were enough to lose, and there are now injury concerns. France played well against the ABs, so they\u2019ll only get stronger with time throughout this tournament. A close game is expected for 60 minutes, but France should pull away late to secure the win and cover the -7.5 start.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Australia vs France<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

Japan vs Ireland Predictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Japan<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Ireland<\/div>\n
Saturday 11th July 8:10 PM (AEST) at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle<\/div>\n
Ireland -19.5 @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

Japan got its flowers last week with a surprise win over Italy, but they could come back down to earth against Ireland, who were strong winners over Australia. With this game being played in Newcastle, it massively helps Ireland, who barely had to travel from Sydney for the contest. It\u2019s not the case for Japan, who could be fatigued following an emotional victory, and that\u2019s why we have Ireland covering the -19.5 spread. They will pile on the pressure throughout the game, and their dominant forward pack should be too much for Japan to handle. The -19.5 line is much lower than expected, so it could pay to jump on Ireland before late money comes for the Europeans.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Japan vs Ireland<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

Fiji vs England Predictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Fiji<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
England<\/div>\n
Saturday 11th July 11:10 PM (AEST) at Hlll Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool<\/div>\n
Fiji +20.5 @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

We would love nothing more than Fiji being competitive against England. Pacific rugby is on the rise, and although Fiji lost to Wales last week, they should improve with that outing under their belt. It was always going to take Fiji a game to play its best rugby, and a lack of playing time together isn\u2019t ideal. England has much more experience, but they haven\u2019t been impressive this year. Their Six Nations campaign didn\u2019t inspire much, and they could struggle with the physical nature of Fijian rugby. A close game would be great for world rugby, so take Fiji with the +20.5 start.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Fiji vs England<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

South Africa vs Scotland Predictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
South Africa<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Scotland<\/div>\n
Sunday 12th July 1:40 AM (AEST) at Loftus Verfield Stadium, Pretoria<\/div>\n
South Africa -17.5 @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The Springboks are on a different level, as much as it pains us to say so. They are the world leaders in rugby, and a dominant win over Scotland is highly likely. Playing in Pretoria helps their chances, and European teams often struggle with the elevation. Punters should expect South Africa to adopt the bomb squad tactic, and it won\u2019t stop throughout the game. Scotland played well last week, but this is a completely different matchup, and they\u2019ll likely struggle to compete. Our Nations Championship predictions have South Africa winning by 25\u201330 points, so covering the spread should come easily.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n South Africa vs Scotland<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

Argentina vs Wales Predictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Argentina<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Wales<\/div>\n
Sunday 12th July 5:10 AM (AEST) at Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan<\/div>\n
Wales +17.5 @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The week ends with an intriguing game between Argentina and Wales, where Argentina looks to bounce back after losing to Scotland. It was a shock loss for Argentina at home, and they are being given plenty of respect against Wales. We liked what Wales produced to beat Fiji, and although Argentina plays a high-tempo game, Wales\u2019 defence is good enough to keep them from scoring tries. It should be a close game throughout the 80 minutes, and the +17.5 line for Wales is overly generous.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Argentina vs Wales<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
<\/div><\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Nations Championship continues this week, kicking off with the All Blacks vs. Italy in Wellington on Saturday night. It\u2019s a public holiday weekend in New Zealand, and punters could celebrate with an ABs win, who should get the round started with a win against the struggling Italians. We have Nations Championship Round 2 tips, predictions and best bets for all six games this weekend. New Zealand vs Italy Predictions 0 Days 0 Hours 0 Mins 0 Secs Match Betting Odds Wellington Regional Stadium • Saturday 11th Jul New Zealand $1.01 vs Italy $15.00 Nations Championship odds correct as of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":30619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,751,752],"tags":[583],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-30631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby-union","category-rugby-union-head-to-head","category-rugby-union-tips","tag-rugby-union-tips"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":"","md_tip_date_end":"","md_market_url":"","tip_date":"10\/07\/2026","event_country":"New Zealand"},"yoast_head":"\nNations Championship Rugby Week 2 Tips, Predictions & Best Bets<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tab.co.nz\/punters\/2026\/07\/nations-championship-rugby-week-2-predictions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nations Championship Rugby Week 2 Tips, Predictions & Best Bets\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Nations Championship continues this week, kicking off with the All Blacks vs. Italy in Wellington on Saturday night. 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