Kiwis v Irish
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Kiwis v Irish
NZ will win boys
New Zealand and South Africa are ranked No.1 and No.2 on the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings, well clear of the pack, and their current dominance of the world pecking order can be put down to one simple statistic - neither have lost at home for some time.
Just like when England went to No.1 in the world on the back of a 22-match unbeaten home run, now the Kiwis (three years) and Boks (two years) have a hot streak.
The top-ranked All Blacks play Ireland in the second test at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, having had to work hard for their 34-23 win in the first test in Hamilton last week.
But the Irish won't like the stats that are about to follow.
This is the third time the Kiwis have hosted the Irish in a two-match series. The average score in the first test is 24-17, but in the second it's 49-7.
The All Blacks haven't lost a test match at Eden Park since 1994 (13 matches, average score: 39-16).
The Irish haven't beaten a tier 1 side in the Southern Hemisphere for 27 years.
As we said before, the All Blacks haven't lost a match at home for three years and if they beat the Irish again this Saturday, they will set a new record of 18 consecutive home wins.
Their longest unbeaten streak at home is also 18 matches (includes a draw with the Boks in 1994)
South Africa's home run is not nearly as impressive, but still good enough to give them second place ... well clear of third-placed France.
The Springboks play Scotland in the second test in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, having recorded a convincing 36-16 win in the first encounter in Durban last week. It is only the second time that the Boks and Scottish meet in a series - the previous occasion having also been a two-match series, in 2003, when the Boks won 28-19 and 29-25.
If the Springboks win this weekend, they will stretch their unbeaten home run to 13 internationals (including a draw against France last year).
It is worth noting that this run does not include the 30-27 win over the World XV earlier this month, since that was a non-cap international.
South Africa's longest unbeaten home run was 13 straight wins - from June 1994 to August 1996. This includes a 10-match unbeaten home run by the late Kitch Christie and victory in the 1995 World Cup.
The longest home winning streak in Test history was set by England from 1999 to 2003 (22 matches).
All stats courtesy of our statistics partner Pick and Go!
OK..all bets paid out.
Winner were those who selected Kiwis to win and ALSO those who thought Ireland could be within 19.5 points
nice photo Coach. Looking forward to Wallabies v Ireland.
Ireland always go well in Perth.