The Rugby Championship outright predictions: Improving Australia could be South Africa's biggest rivals
South Africa are the reigning Rugby Championship winners
Australia won their final Test against the British & Irish Lions
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The 2025 Rugby Championship begins on Saturday and is the final annual tournament before the competition switches to a biennial basis to accommodate the new Nations Championship, which runs throughout next year.
South Africa ended New Zealand's three-year reign in 2024 and the pair's meeting at Eden Park on September 6 looks the standout fixture of this season's event.
Australia will also be dangerous after improving massively during their recent series defeat to the British & Irish Lions.
Meanwhile, Argentina beat all three of the other competing nations last season and also overturned the Lions in June.
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The Stats
This is the 13th edition of the Rugby Championship.
New Zealand have won nine events, with reigning champions South Africa also triumphing in 2019 and Australia in 2015
The All Blacks have not lost at Eden Park since 1994, going unbeaten in 50 matches at the Auckland venue
Argentina beat all three of their rivals in a single tournament for the first time last year
Prediction
There feels like a degree of destiny about South Africa's trip to Eden Park.
The Springboks have not played the Kiwis at the venue since 2013, and as reigning champions, winners of the last two Rugby World Cups, and having beaten the Lions in 2021, a victory at the ground would cement their current era under Rassie Erasmus since 2018 as the most dominant ever.
Erasmus's side has played New Zealand in Auckland in recent history, but that 35-20 defeat in 2023 came across town at Mount Smart Stadium, and it looks like the NZRU has finally relented.
South Africa were destroyed that night, but this game could be different, as Scott Robinson still has not landed on the right combinations since replacing Ian Foster.
Robertson's former Crusaders' fly-half Richie Mo'unga's return to New Zealand next year also adds to the uncertainty over whether the coach believes Beauden Barrett or Damien McKenzie are the right candidates to wear the first-five-eighth shirt at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Meanwhile, Erasmus has so many options that he has been able to leave legendary number 10 Handre Pollard out of his team's opening game at home to Australia in Johannesburg.
The Boks are likely to rotate against the Wallabies and the Pumas, either side of going full gas in Auckland and the following week in Wellington.
Australia have been given a tough draw, as for the second straight year, they face South Africa in their opening two games before hosting Argentina twice.
The Wallabies close their campaign with home-and-away ties against New Zealand and could be firing by the final weeks.
Joe Schmidt enjoyed a decent first year at the helm but was criticised for his team's underwhelming showing in the opening Test defeat against the Lions.
However, they roared back to go close in the second encounter before dominating the tourists in the final match once the series was done.
They showed incredible improvement during those tussles and after a tough start they can again progress against the Pumas, who have firepower but may have plenty of tired players who have hardly had a break since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Argentina beat the Lions in June but looked lightweight in July's 2-0 series defeat to England.
Felipe Contepomi will have his big guns back but while Marcos Kremer, Joel Sclavi, Tomas Albornoz, Santiago Chocobares and Juan Cruz Mallia all bring class, they have each played almost constantly over the last 18 months.
Australia have their own issues at fly-half due to fitness doubts over Noah Lolesio and Tom Lynagh.
But, scrum-half Nic White's U-turn on his international retirement and James O'Connor's return to the frame provide the potential for a traditional running-game plan from the Wallabies.
Schmidt's side could continue to improve as the tournament goes on and be in contention for their second Rugby Championship title by the time the Bledisloe Cup double-header comes about in the final two rounds.
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