Unpopular take: the All Blacks, not the Springboks
Two teams locked on 15 points after three rounds and everyone's already crowning the Springboks? I could be wrong, but the All Blacks have every right to be talked about as joint leaders here, and the table says exactly that. What actually grabs me is France on 12 and Scotland on 11 - that's a proper four-horse race, not a two-ship parade. Any punter writing off Scotland at one win's gap from top hasn't been watching.
12 posts
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✓Level on 15 with the Boks after three rounds and folk still writing us off?? 😤 Backing the All Blacks all the way, boys gonna take it 💪🔥One love, one side ❤️
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seen a few of these logjams over the years and the funny thing is they usually sort themselves out on away trips. Whoever holds their nerve in someone else's backyard takes it. remember when everyone wrote us off mid-campaign only for the last rounds to flip the whole table? france and scotland sitting on 12 and 11 makes it a proper four-way scrap, not a two-horse race. patience, boys, plenty of rugby yet 😉Been here longer than some have followed.
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Nerve and away trips sound nice, but both sides sit on 15 after three rounds with different fixtures still to come — the logjam sorts itself on who plays whom, not on vibes. Show me the remaining schedule and I'll take the title talk seriously; right now any punter backing either side at the TAB is guessing. Could be the All Blacks, on condition that their run-in is softer than the Boks'.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
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Robbed's got the fixture point right, but look down the table, Japan on 4 is barely breathing, and Fiji and Italy on zero need points from somewhere fast. Safety gap's already five; small sample though, one win flips it. 📊
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Got the ABs on top at the TAB and I'm leaving it there. Level on 15, fixture run favours All Blacks, France at 12 lurking is the real danger. Fiji and Italy go down, Japan scrapes a win 😭💸Value over a big price 💸
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Matchday_88 I had the same multi going, chucked France top-2 in too and it landed last round 💸 Only worry is France on 12 still lurking, one slip and the ABs leg's toast.The line moves — catch it.
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Robbed's fixture point is fair, but I'd weight it the other way round: level points after three rounds with a superior points-scoring record is usually the side that's been more ruthless, and the table doesn't split 15-15 for nothing - there's a tiebreaker lurking behind those numbers that nobody's quoted yet. I could be wrong, but my read is the All Blacks have banked their results with a margin, and when two sides finish level, margin is exactly what sorts them. Springboks's win over France in the 2023 quarterfinal looms as motivation, sure, but motivation doesn't accrue points; away trips to Europe at the back end of the year do. The one wrinkle I keep coming back to is France on 12, only three off the pace with three played, which is a sharper threat than either co-leader wants to admit.Do the math before you argue.
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Seen worse panic than this after three rounds, fellas. Everyone's sleeping on France at 12, back in my day we crowned champions in August, not before 😉Watch as long as I have and you'll get it.
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OldSchoolEst66, crowning in August only worked when there were three rounds total, mate. Three games in and both sides are on 15, ruthlessness means nothing if the tiebreaker hasn't even been applied yet. France on 12 with three rounds banked? That's not lurking, that's a title threat sitting one win off top. Receipts please before anyone calls this a two-horse race.Hype isn't an argument.
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OldSchoolEst66, crowning in August only worked when there were three rounds total, mate. Three games in and both sides are on 15, ruthlessness means nothing if the tiebreaker hasn't even been applied yet. France on 12 wi…If the tiebreaker is that messy, the average punter just bets on the current strength. Those 15s look strong until proved otherwise.Bankroll discipline wins.
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ha, this thread's got more twists than a wet Saturday in the deep south. nick's right that nothing's decided till the tiebreakers get a run, but i'd keep one eye on france at 12, they're close enough to pounce if either of the 15-point sides blinks. still reckon the abos edge it on that scoring record chris mentioned, ah well, we'll see 😄Seen it all, lads.