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

• South Africa lost to Ireland in their last Rugby World Cup match
• Tonga have lost their last two matches in this year's World Cup
• The Springboks are favourites to pick up the win over Ikale Tahi

All good things must come to an end.

South Africa had their eight-match winning streak in the World Cup snapped on Saturday with a narrow loss to Ireland.

The Springboks will look to get their campaign back on track when they face Tonga this coming Sunday. Read on as Sports Brief brings you a preview of this Pool B showdown.

South Africa vs. Tonga Betting Preview

Where: Stade de Marseille

When: Sunday, October 1 - 9:00 pm local time

Odds: South Africa (-39.5) vs. Tonga (+39.5) - view all lines

Betting on South Africa (-39.5)

South Africa finally met their match.

France vs Namibia 2023 Rugby World Cup Predictions, Odds, Picks and Betting Preview

Rugby

The defending champions lost at the World Cup for the first time since 2019, suffering a 13-8 defeat at the hands of Ireland on Saturday.

Mack Hansen's try proved to be the difference in the contest, the first the Springboks had conceded at the World Cup since their semi-final win over Wales in 2019.

Much of the talk before the game against Ireland was about South Africa's vaunted bomb squad. It was the Boks' kick squad, however, that failed to deliver in the top-of-the-table clash.

Flyhalf Manie Libbok and scrumhalf Faf de Klerk missed kicks that could have put 11 points on the board for South Africa, per the Associated Press.

Libbok missed two makeable kicks at important junctures of the match.

He missed a conversion that would have put the Boks 10-7 up and a penalty later on that would have given South Africa an 11-10 lead with about 15 minutes left in the match.

Georgia vs Portugal 2023 Rugby World Cup Predictions, Odds, Picks and Betting Preview

Rugby

De Klerk also missed two penalty attempts from around the halfway line. The Boks will need to sort those kicks out against Tonga for them to return to the win column.

Rassie Erasmus made 12 changes to South Africa's starting lineup that lost to Ireland, with Handre Pollard handed the number 10 jersey for the game against Tonga.

Betting on Tonga (+39.5)

Ikale Tahi's 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign has been a nightmare so far for them.

Tonga suffered another heavy defeat last Sunday in Pool B, losing 45-17 to Scotland. They have now lost by an average of 35.5 points in their first two group games.

They conceded 104 points and 15 tries in the losses to Ireland and Scotland.

Things are bound to get tougher for Tonga as they will next face mighty South Africa.

They have lost their last two test matches against the Springboks, including a 30-25 defeat at the 2007 World Cup.

Thierry Henry rates Arsenal's chances of winning UCL title this season

Football

To make matters worse for Tonga, Vaea Fifita might miss the game against South Africa after he got a red card in the match against Scotland.

His yellow card was upgraded to red by the TMO bunker after a brutal shoulder-to-head hit on a Scottish player, per the BBC.

Writer's Prediction

South Africa (-39.5) win and cover the spread against Tonga

Register your account now with 1XBet, so as to not miss any Rugby World Cup betting opportunities.

Argentina vs. Chile Betting Preview

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

The Pumas defeated Samoa 19-10 to even their World Cup record at 1-1.

They have been installed as 54.5-point favourites over Chile.

Disclaimer: This page may contain advertising (including affiliate or referral links) for sports betting operators from whom we may receive compensation. Nothing in this article constitutes any guarantee of winning any online sports betting bet or wager that you may undertake, nor is there any intention to induce you or any other person into engaging in any sports betting activities. Please see our Betting Disclaimer for more details.

Gambling can be addictive. If you have a problem go to the website GamblersAnonymous.org.