South Africa vs Ireland 2023 Rugby World Cup Predictions, Odds, Picks and Betting Preview

• South Africa and Ireland have each won their first two matches in the 2023 Rugby World Cup
• Ireland have won seven of their last 11 Test matches against the Springboks
• South Africa are slight favourites to pick up the win over the Shamrocks on Saturday

Something's gotta give.

South Africa and Ireland will put their unbeaten records on the line when they square off at the 2023 Rugby World Cup this coming Saturday.

Read on as Sports Brief brings you a preview of this mouth-watering Pool B showdown.

South Africa vs. Ireland Betting Preview

Where: Stade de France

When: Saturday, September 23 - 9:00pm local time

Odds: South Africa (-1.5) vs. Ireland (+1.5); total: 44.5 - view all lines

Betting on South Africa (-1.5)

South Africa will head to their clash against Ireland boasting a rich vein of form.

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The Springboks have won nine of their last ten matches, including each of their previous six outings, per the BBC.

They started their Rugby World Cup campaign with impressive wins over Scotland (18-3) and Romania (76-0).

The Boks have now won their last eight World Cup games, dating back to their championship run in 2019.

The good news for South Africa is that Eben Etzebeth is fit to start against Ireland. He missed the Boks' last win over Romania after injuring his shoulder against Scotland.

With Etzebeth back in action, South Africa have 14 of the 15 players that started in their win over Scotland. The only player missing is Malcolm Marx, who suffered a knee injury and is out of the tournament.

A victory by South Africa on Saturday would give them the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, with Ireland dropping to third.

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Betting on Ireland (+1.5)

There is just no stopping Ireland right now. They have won each of their last 15 Test matches, a new national record.

The Shamrocks, who captured the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year, extended their winning streak with victories over Romania (82-8) and Tonga (59-16).

They hold the top spot in Pool B after securing bonus points in those two victories. They scored 20 tries against Romania and Tonga to help them build a +117 points difference.

Things are bound to get tougher for Ireland, as they will next face defending champions, South Africa.

This will be the first time these two powerhouse teams square off at the Rugby World Cup. The Irish will fancy their chances against the Springboks as they have fared extremely well against them in their recent meetings.

Ireland have won seven of their last 11 Test matches against South Africa, including their previous two meetings, per Reuters.

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They have made just one change to the team that crushed Tonga in Nantes last week, with Jamison Gibson-Park set to start at scrum-half in place of Conor Murray.

Writer's Prediction

South Africa (-1.5) edge past Ireland to claim the top spot in Pool B and the world rankings.

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England vs. Chile Betting Preview

Sports Brief also previewed the World Cup match between England and Chile.

England head to that clash with a 2-0 record after opening their campaign with wins over Argentina and Japan.

They will look to preserve their unbeaten slate against Chile, who have yet to win in this year's Rugby World Cup.

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