There is a South African Derby weekend in the URC and we take a look at both games from a betting angle.
Leinster remain firm favourites in the Tournament and are currently priced at 5/10 with their Irish rivals, Ulster second favourites at 8/1, you can get 17/2 the Stormers and Munster, 10/1 the Bulls and the Sharks and 28/1 and better the balance.
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SATURDAY
Lions v Stormers – Click here to bet
The Lions come into this game well rested after their match against the Glasgow Warriors last week was postponed. The week before they had gone down 37-39 to Ulster in a high scoring game where they came back late on to almost snatched the match. Prior to that they had won all 3 of their matches in the UK and the only other home game was in Round 1 where they went down by 16 points to the Bulls.
The Stormers tasted defeat for the first time last week, losing 30-24 away in Cardiff. They had drawn 16-16 at Ospreys the week before and opened their Tour with a 37-20 win over Zebre. Before heading on Tour they had beaten Edinburgh and Connacht at home.
Last season these teams shared the spoils in their two games, the Lions winning in Cape Town and the Stormers winning by 22 points in Johannesburg.
Suggested Bet: The Lions win at 19/20
The Stormers have picked a strong side, but will certainly be missing some of their Springboks in the front row and I think the Lions can take advantage of this. I have been impressed with the Lions, they are coming into this game fresh and I think they can take the points.
SUNDAY
Bulls v Sharks – Click here to bet
The Bulls currently sit 3rd on the table on 19 points, 3 points and 4 positions ahead of the Sharks on 15, but the Sharks have played two games less than the Bulls.
Last week the Bulls turned in an impressive second-half performance to beat Benetton 44-22 on the road, a game where they only started 3 point favourites. They were coming off a 14 point loss to Munster and a 14 point loss away at the Glasgow Warriors and prior to the Tour they had beaten Connacht by 14 and edged Edinburgh by 2 points in a high scoring encounter.
The Sharks game against Ulster last week was postponed and the week before they turned in their best performance of the Tournament so far hammering Glasgow Warriors 40-12 at home. That was an important confidence boost after going down 54-34 to Leinster on the road and their other away matches were a narrow 1 point win over the Dragons and a 5 point win over Zebre in a high scoring encounter.
The Sharks did the double over the Bulls last year winning by 14 points in Durban and 29-22 at Loftus, but at the business end of the competition they met in the quarter-finals and there the Bulls won 30-27 at home
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Sharks +5.5 at 9/10
The Bulls have certainly named a strong side, but this Sharks team have plenty of talent in it and for my money a 5.5 point start is well within the visitors reach.
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
