Four teams, three points apart at the top of the Nations Championship
Three rounds in and the Springboks and All Blacks both sit on 15, so the honours are shared at the top for now. What I find interesting is the chasing pair: France on 12 and Scotland on 11 are close enough that one result flips the whole order. Scotland at 11 from three matches is the sneaky one, quietly collecting points while everyone watches the big two. Title race is genuinely live.
6 posts
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✓Us against the Boks joint-top after three rounds, and people still writing us off 😤 sorry nah, backing them all day. France on 12 are the sneaky danger tbh, one upset and the whole table flips... but if the boys turn up like they have been, title's coming home 💪🔥You don't abandon your own.
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this kind of tight race, it’s seen it all before, even back when the crowds at eden park were smaller. those championship deciders are always about nerve more than just the points accumulated in the earlier rounds. it rarely comes down to the initial standings, but rather who can see the fight through when the pressure really piles up.
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"Nerve" sounds nice but show me the numbers. Three rounds in, the Boks and ABs both have 15, sure, though nothing says their remaining fixtures were equal either, so joint-top tells you less than people think. I'll believe the title pick on condition that someone actually shows the run home, not vibes from Eden Park decades ago.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
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While everyone's staring at the top four, the real noise is down the bottom. Fiji and Italy on zero after three rounds is the worrying bit, because a single bonus point loss could drag Japan's 4 into range fast, and that's the gap to safety. Caveat though, three rounds is a tiny sample, one upset result flips this zone the same way it flips the title race. If I were a punter eyeballing the drop, I'd still have Japan closest to the cliff.Numbers > vibes.
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Seen this sort of table plenty of times over the years and it never tells you much yet, does it. Four points spread across the top four with three rounds gone means France and Scotland are well in this too, even if the bookies don't think so. My gut says the Boks' pack grinds everyone down by the finish, but honestly any punter calling it now is guessing. Roll on the rest, eh 😉Watch as long as I have and you'll get it.