rugby.generalA preview of Saturday's United Rugby Championship clash between Edinburgh and the Stormers including best bets with @Olimp_SA

 

 

 

 

Edinburgh vs. Stormers, United Rugby Championship, Saturday 9 October 18:15

 

Edinburgh

 

With won win and one loss so far Edinburgh currently sit in 7th place on the log. They managed to pick up maximum points in their opening encounter as well as two losing bonus points on their trip to Italy last week. After a narrow loss last week the Scottish side look to bounce back with a win against the Stormers on Saturday evening.

 

Edinburgh started off their United Rugby Championship on home turf against Welsh side Scarlets where they went into the match as slight favourites. The bookies gave them -3.5 points on the handicap which proved to be very accurate in the end. The hosts conceded a try very early in the match but were able to hit back right away with three tries of their own courtesy of Blair Kinghorn, Mark Bennett and winger Darcy Graham. They led at half time 19-8 and despite two second half tries by Scarlets, a second try by Darcy Graham around the 60 minute mark proved enough to secure them a 26-22 win.

 

Last week in Benetton Edinburgh went into the match as slight favourites once again and as the final result indicates it was hard to choose between the two sides. The visitors conceded a try in the fourth minute of the match but were able to go on a small rampage that saw them score three tries in the space of 12 minutes. WP Nel rumbled over for the first and scrummy Ben Vellacott scored two which gave them a 19-8 lead at one stage. However, Benetton were able to score once more before the break which left the game at 19-15 in favour of Edinburgh at half time. The second half started well for the Scots with an early try by Stuart McInally, but from there the visitors faded and allowed a late try and a drop goal at the death which saw them go down 28-27.

 

Stormers

 

Along with two other South African teams the Stormers are yet to win their first match of the tournament and currently sit in 13th place on the log. Other than a losing bonus point in their opening encounter they don’t have much to show for their efforts and look to get the first win of their campaign on Saturday.

In their first match the Capetonians travelled to Italy to take on Benetton. They were given a head start of about 6.5 points by the bookies and managed to cover this despite losing the match. Things started off very positively for the Stormers with a try in the first minute by centre Rikus Pretorious and despite conceding a try shortly after, two penalties by Manie Libbok meant that they had a half time lead of 11-7. The visitors had the first say in the second half as well with a try by Ruhan Nel shortly after the break, but failed to score any more points in the match after that. A late fade by the Stormers and two tries in the final twenty minutes by the hosts meant the match ended 22-18 in favour of Benetton.

 

Last week the Stormers took on Munster who are second favourites to win the tournament according to the outright betting. The bookies anticipated this to be a tough clash for the visitors and the Stormers went into the match with +24.5 points on the handicap. Once again the Stormers had a very positive start and they managed to score two quick tries through Warrick Gelant and Leolin Zas. At the 30 minute mark the Stormers were up 15-0, but that is pretty much where things ended for them. A try just before half-time along with four more tries in the second half by Munster absolutely buried the Stormers who could only add one penalty to their first half score. Thanks to their early scores the Capetonians were able to cover the handicap, but it was particularly worrying seeing another second half fade in this match from them and playing for the full 80 minutes has proven to be challenging up until now.

 

Prediction

 

The handicap has been set at -9.5 points in favour of Edinburgh for this match and in my opinion that might just be a little bit too much. Edinburgh haven’t managed to win by a significant margin in their two matches so far and considering both sides had a narrow loss to Benetton I think it’s fair to say that these teams are evenly matched.

 

The Scots might scrape through with a narrow win since they have the home advantage but I don’t believe they can cover the handicap. Same as the Lions match, I am expecting some miserable Scottish weather which makes me inclined to think that this will be a close one. The Stormers have also been fast starters this tournament and they have led at half time in both of their clashes so far. They are currently +4.5 points on the half time handicap and I think this is worth a crack as well.

 

BetOlimp Best Bets

 

Stormers +9.5 – 1.84
First half handicap: Stormers +4.5 – 1.83

 

(Note, all odds quoted are subject to change)

 

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