|
The first Tri Nations tournament was played in 1996 and won by the formidable All Blacks.
Since then, the competition, organised by SANZAR, a consortium of the three
nations' rugby governing bodies, kicks off annually with much national pride and
a loyal following that includes the Rugby Pack - individuals and group who
follow their Tri nation favourites around the world as games are played at home
and away. The Trinations was to a large extent a response to the perceived need
to have a southern hemisphere version of the Six Nations.
Australia, won their first Tri Nations championship in 2000. The tournament
was notable at the time for the opening match (Australia versus New Zealand)
with an attendance of 109,874 spectators. Big bull Jonah Lomu played a
spectacular game scoring the winning try against Australia .
During the apartheid era, South Africa was particularly pleased to have the
opportunity to pit their strength against the big boys and in 1998 won all four
games to clinch the trophy. There is no doubt that political problems in South
Africa make them something of a dark horse in the rugby betting stakes. The
Springboks in South Africa are a political football when race issues arise.
The All Blacks were the first winner of the Tri Nations in 1996 and has won the last three final matches since 2005. The Ozzies have
taken home the Tri Nations trophy eight times.
Some Tri Nations statistics:
- The two top point scorers of the event:
- Andrew Mehrtens (New Zealand) - 328 (1 try, 34 conv, 82 pen, 3 drop). Matt
Burke (Australia) - 271 (7 tries, 19 conv, 65 pen, 1 drop). Out of the top 10
scoreres, the All Blacks hog 4 places.
- The four top scorers:
- Christian Cullen (19), Thirteen: Doug Howlett (13), Joe Rokocoko (13), and
Justin Marshall (9).
- The top four scorers are all from - you guessed it - New Zealand. So, if
you're a betting man, put that in your boot and run with it.
Game wins nation for nation:
- New Zealand - 35 games won, 15 lost Australia - 20 games won, 29 lost South
Africa - 19 games won, 30 lost
Check back here for all the latest Tri Nations betting news and information.
|
