The Rugby Championship Round 2 - mirror, mirror on the wall

The game of rugby seldom feels like a fairytale. Rugby is an intense and high impact game that would be difficult to draw parallels to bedtime stories; some might say it is more like a nightmare.

When the fixtures are put together for the Rugby Championship the organisers use the Americanism back to back; and that is true this weekend. Three of the world's top rugby nations facing the exact same fixtures as the previous week.

A familiarity that exists through Super Rugby will continue with the All Blacks and Wallabies; the unknowns are the Pumas and they must continue to look for that upset.

Our NZ based correspondent, Scott Donaldson looks in the mirror at this weekend's games.

The Rugby Championship Round 1 featured two closer than expected matches with the Springboks beating Pumas by seven points, while the All Blacks and Wallabies ended in a 12 all stalemate. 

Both matches were played in difficult conditions and hopefully conditions will be better this week. 

There was only one try across two games and the All Blacks record chase for their 18th consecutive test match win came up short with the determined Wallabies taking them on upfront.

This week there will be rematches of both Round 1 fixtures. The Springboks and All Blacks are favourites to win their respective matches, but both the Pumas and Wallabies were determined and will be out to prove that they can be competitive twice in two weeks.

All Blacks vs Wallabies

There is more than the Bledisloe Cup to play for in this match as the All Blacks chase Rugby Championship glory. They will be gutted after drawing with the Wallabies in Sydney and will be looking to decrease the penalties against them. 

Eden Park has been a fortress for the All Blacks who haven’t lost at Eden Park since 1986. This Wallabies team hasn’t been given much credit for their draw against the All Blacks last week. 

Despite getting favourable refereeing, the Wallabies managed to compete upfront against the All Blacks and so they won’t be a pushover this week.

Conditions should be good this week and this will hopefully mean at least one try is scored, while the All Blacks will have to win without Jerome Kaino and Ma’a Nonu, but there are quality replacements in Liam Messam and Ryan Crotty. Cory Jane celebrates his 50th test. 

The All Blacks will hopefully flourish in better conditions this week after a frustrating performance last week.   

The Wallabies will take renewed confidence from last week and a Waratahs win in Super Rugby 2014.
The Wallabies have made some interesting calls with Pat McCabe and Rob Horne on the wings and Kutley Beale at first five eighth. 

The Wallabies will need to beat history here and win at Eden Park, but this Wallabies team is well led by Michael Hooper and finally has the ability to compete man for man against the All Blacks.

Players to watch: For those playing fantasy rugby games like www.testrugby.com the All Blacks represent terrible value for money because they are expensive to buy. 

Ryan Crotty will start, giving managers a good option in the midfield, although given the Springboks expected dominance over Los Pumas, then it could be better to stack your team with Springbok players.

For the All Blacks, try Crotty unless you feel rich and can accommodate Dane Coles, Julian Savea, Kieran Read and locking duo Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock.

The Wallabies have the same faces in different positions, with Kurtley Beale a good option (since he is listed as a midfield back), Israel Folau and Michael Hooper are worth the high price, while replacement hooker Nathan Charles could be worth a shot.

Scott's pick: All Blacks by 7 points.

Pumas vs Springboks

The Springboks are expected to win comfortably against the Pumas in Argentina despite the seven-point margin in South Africa. 

Conditions should be better this week, which should allow the Springboks to dominate in the backs. 

There have been a few changes to the teams, with most interest around Juan Smith’s return to international rugby.  The Springboks need improved cohesion this week. 

The Pumas will welcome back Juan Martin Hernandez into the midfield, while Amorosino is a dangerous winger who will start.

The Pumas have never beaten the Springboks, with their 2012 Rugby Championship draw the closest that they have come. Their squad is almost at full strength with most of their current top players available.  But can they get their first win over the Springboks in 19 attempts? I don’t think so!

Players to watch: There are some bargain priced players in this game with the Springboks using this game to blood some new players. 

Damian de Allende, Handre Pollard and Lood de Jager are bargains, while some big points could be scored by Willie Le Roux, Bismarck du Plessis and Duane Vermeulen.

The Pumas are where you can save money. Pablo Matera is a bargain priced loose forward, while the starting Pumas wingers and locks are also really cheap. 

Juan Martin Hernandez moves into the midfield, while Agustin Creevy is a good option in the front row.

Scott's pick: Springboks

A great weekend of rugby union with a forecast for improved weather compared to the previous week. This points to more tries. The rugby tipping competitions are in full flow and Scott is looking at two home wins.