Round 1 of the European Rugby Challenge Cup kicks off this weekend. Two South African sides will play in this years tournament, the Lions and the Cheetahs and we look at this weekend’s fixtures for the two sides from a betting angle.
Cheetahs v USA Perpignan – click here to bet
The Cheetahs have been on a short break after competing in this years edition of the Currie Cup and the Toyota Challenge. They were knocked out in the semi-finals of the former where they lost 43-34 away from home to the Lions and in the Toyota Challenge they lost to the Force and Emerging Ireland.
The Cheetahs will be playing their home matches in Amsterdam.
Perpignan have been competing in the Top 14 in France and have won two of their last five matches. Their most recent result was a 13-22 loss to Toulon at home last weekend. They sit 11th on the log and will potentially have one eye on avoiding relegation.
Head-to-Head
With the South African sides only recently being included in the European rugby, the two sides are yet to play each other.
The Cheetahs have had plenty of time to prepare for this fixture and will look to impress in front of their adopted home crowd but I think the value lies with the visitors who while battling in the Top 14 are battle hardened.
Handicap: Cheetahs -5.5
BET: Perpignan win at 2/1
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Ospreys v Lions – click here to bet
These two sides both ply their trade in the UFC.
The Ospreys have been on a poor run of form in the URC, only winning one of their last five matches. They played against Zebre last weekend and despite starting favourites with the bookies they lost the match 22-17 away from home.
The Lions are currently sitting 5th on the URC table after winning four of their first six matches. They are coming off back-to-back losses in Ireland where they suffered defeats to Leinster and Munster. Their most recent match was against Munster where they lost 17-10.
Head-to-Head
The two sides have met four times over the last three years with each side winning two matches apiece. The Ospreys have won the last two matches with the most recent result being a 36-21 win at home for the Ospreys.
Although the Ospreys have won their last two matches in the URC, their recent form in the competition suggests they will battle to beat the Lions this weekend. The Lions will be looking to bounce back from their back-to-back losses and will be targeting the Challenge Cup as a possible route back into the Champions Cup as the Sharks did last season.
The Lions have made a few interesting changes to the team but I quite like them and am backing them to beat the handicap here.
Handicap: Ospreys -7.5
BET: Lions +7.5 at 9/10
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
