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South Africa vs Georgia Preview: Odds, Tips and Predictions

Date: July 19, 2025 Kick off time: 17:10 SAST Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela South Africa will round off their mid-year international action with a clash against Georgia, in a clash at the Mbombela Stadium on July 19. With rugby betting tips live, rugby league betting sites have weighed in on what is expected to be an entertaining game pitting the reigning world champions against the mighty minnows.

Bruce Douglas
Bruce Douglas

Last updated: 2025-07-15

Chad Nagel

7 minutes read

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South Africa's centre Canan Moodie (C) celebrates with teammates

Canan Moodie (C) with teammate/Getty Images

The Springboks are set to face Georgia in their final clash of the current international series, before embarking on a quest to retain the Rugby Championship in August. Ahead of the opener against Australia, the reigning world champs could build more momentum against the European minnows.The Lelos are coming off a decent enough performance against Ireland earlier this month but are also set to step into the arena with a South African side that has shown little mercy during their previous two tests.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: South Africa Overwhelming Favourites

With South Africa vs Georgia betting odds already live, online sports betting has installed the Springboks as overwhelming favourites for this clash.

  1. Home: 0/1 (1.0) – 99.9%

  2. Draw: 52/1 (53.0) – 1.9%

  3. Away: 27/1 (28.0) – 3.6%
    *Odds courtesy of 888Starz, subject to change

Head-to-Head Record

Previous international meetings

  1. 2021/07/02: South Africa 40 - 9 Georgia

  2. 2003/10/24: South Africa 46 - 19 Georgia

South Africa Current Form – WWWWW

The Springboks have anchored their place as the top team in the world with a winning streak going back 12 matches. With the Rugby Championship around the corner, South Africa would be planning to build on their overwhelming momentum.

Part of this lengthy unbeaten record on the international stage includes a 32-15 win against Scotland, a 29-20 victory over England, and a 45-12 drubbing of Wales during their November 2024 series.

South Africa went into the mid-year internationals with something to prove, defeating Italy 42-24 and then preserving a clean sheet in a 45-0 dismantling of the Azzurri, despite having only 14 men on the field after a red card offence.

South Africa's Malcolm Marx (R) runs with the ball during the international rugby

 Malcolm Marx/Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

Siya Kolisi: The veteran returns to his regular lock position and resumes the Springbok captaincy, and is certain to be in top form in his first international assignment of the year. Expect bruising carries and relentless defending.

Grant Williams: Raising his hand as South Africa’s best scrum-half, Williams was in sublime form in the second test against Italy, providing quick ball at the breakdown and also utilising tactical kicks well. He scored a try and also created openings for others to score.

Edwil van der Merwe: Returning to the Springbok fold, the winger was a persistent threat with the ball in hand, constantly breaking the Italian defensive line and excelling in open play. He scored a brace in the second test and also put his heart into defending.

South Africa Team News

Coach Rassie Erasmus rang a number of changes between the first and second tests against Italy, and his bold approach is likely to see a revised lineup for the Georgia clash.

Georgia Current Form – WLLWL

Highly rated among the second-tier rugby nations, Georgia have recorded some positive results in previous international clashes, with a few other results against domestic and invitational teams thrown in.

The Lelos recorded a slender 25-23 win against Japan in July 2024, followed by a solid 29-40 loss versus Australia a week later. Then, in November, Georgia endured a narrow 17-20 defeat against Italy and then returned to winning ways against Tonga (22-7).

Their most recent result was a 5-34 loss to Ireland, although the Europeans did receive plaudits for restricting the Irish well in the first half. They would next be looking to test their defensive mettle against the world’s top nation.

Georgian players celebrate their try during the 2025 Rugby

Georgian players/Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

Tedo Abzhandadze: The fly-half has been solid from the kicking tee and has also employed strategic thinking with the ball in-hand, kicking tactically to give his team decent chances to score.

Tornike Jalagonia: In the loss to Ireland, the eighth man defended hard and was rewarded with a try against a far stronger nation. His efforts as a loose forward have made breaking Georgia’s line tougher.

Shalva Aptsiauri: Against the Irish, the winger loomed around the fringes and scored a brace, showing how dangerous he can be with the ball in hand and when given space to run.

Georgia Team News

The plucky Europeans are likely to send their full-strength squad to face the Springboks, with a number of changes predicted for their playing XV and subs bench

Predicted Line-Ups

South Africa

Forwards:

Props (1 & 3): Boan Venter, Neethling Fouche (The Springboks will test out a new front row)
Hooker (2): Marnus van der Merwe (A new hooker who will also make his debut)
Locks (4 & 5): Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortje (The veteran returns to partner a young face in the second tow)
Flankers (6 & 7): Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit (The skipper returns to action alongside another seasoned veteran)
Number 8 (8): Cobus Wiese (Takes the place of his brother Jasper, who was red-carded last week)

Backs:

Scrum-Half (9): Grant Williams (One of the best current players in the SA 9 jersey)
Fly-Half (10): Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (A play-maker with tremendous vision)
Centres (12 & 13): Damian De Allende, Canan Moodie (A truly dangerous centre pairing)
Wings (11 & 14): Kurt-Lee Arendse, Edwill van der Merwe (Wingers with pace to burn)
Fullback (15): Aphelele Fassi (A reliable member of the Springbok backline)

Georgia

Forwards:

Props (1 & 3): Giorgi Tetrashvili, Aleksandre Kuntelia (A young and hungry front row)
Hooker (2): Vano Karkadze (The hooker also plies his trade with Montpellier in France)
Locks (4 & 5): Mikheil Babunashvili, Vladimir Chachanidze (The locks have gelled well together)
Flankers (6 & 7): Luka Ivanishvili, Beka Saghinadze (Two experienced members of the forward pack)
Number 8 (8): Tornike Jalagonia (The loose forward has been a mainstay of the position)

Backs:

Scrum-Half (9): Vasil Lobzhanidze (One of the most capped members of Georgia’s squad)
Fly-Half (10): Luka Matkava (Has scored many points as a kicker for his nation)
Centres (12 & 13): Giorgi Kveseladze, Demur Tapladze (Both have deep international exposure)
Wings (11 & 14): Otar Metreveli, Shalva Aptsiauri (The wingers could be asked to step up again)
Fullback (15): Davit Niniashvili (Top-rated backline player at a domestic and international level)

Suggested Bets

South Africa vs Georgia betting odds have dropped, with reliable bookmakers for betting offering suggested bets like these:

  1. First Team to Score - South Africa: The Springboks have been in fearsome form, with their winning streak stretching a long way and coach Rassie Erasmus continuing to innovate (4/25 with BetWinner) (4/25 with 888Starz)

  2. Next Try - South Africa: While Georgia are likely to send out their best XV for an immense clash, South Africa has been practically unstoppable in set pieces and their running game, with back-to-back tries likely (11/100 with 888Starz) (11/100 with BetWinner)

Value Bets

Best betting sites for rugby are also offering good value for fans who enjoy international rugby matches:

  1. Jersey Number of First Try-Scorer - Even: The world champions enjoyed tries across the line-up against Italy, meaning any player has a good chance of crossing the line for South Africa’s first try, including forwards and backs (1/1 with BetWinner) (1/1 with 888Starz)

  2. Team to Score Last Try - South Africa: It’s already clear that Georgia are in for a tough outing against the best team in the world, with the current World Cup holders likely to also get the last word in (11/100 with 888Starz) (11/100 with BetWinner)

South Africa vs Georgia Prediction: South Africa to Win

The visitors are known for strong defensive rugby and have proven themselves capable of surprising results, although the quality of opposition means an upset is almost a statistical improbability.

SportsBoom’s Georgia match prediction is a third win of three for the Springboks, with rugby betting sportsbooks also in favour of the world champs as they prepare for Australia, New Zealand and Argentina next month.

For international rugby fans, betting sites with welcome bonus have also offered extended value on matches like South Africa vs Georgia.

Bruce Douglas
Bruce DouglasSports Writer

Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.