Round 3 of the United Rugby Championship is behind us, and in this article we review the weekend’s results as the competition pauses for the Champions Cup to commence.
Round 3 review
Glasgow Warriors 36 Connacht 19
Connacht were well backed here, shortening from +11.5 to +7.5, but after showing some early promise, it was Glasgow Warriors who took control of the game.
I was on Connacht +9.5 and also backed them to win the match, so it was a poor start to the weekend for me.
Dragons 31 Ospreys 38
The Dragons were fairly consistent favourites at -3.5 throughout the week, and the match remained close for most of the contest before the Ospreys drew clear late to win a high-scoring encounter.
I didn’t get involved in this one from a betting perspective.
Bulls 57 Lions 15
For the second week in succession, the Lions game turned into something of a punting disaster for me.
I was on the Lions +10.5 and also backed them to win the match. Late in the day, I decided to get involved with the Lions over 22.5 points as well.
There is a bit of a story behind this one, which actually helped turn my weekend around, and I’ll be covering that in this week’s newsletter, which should go out on Friday.
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The Bulls were dominant, almost from start to finish, while the total-points line of 56.5 arrived for overs punters with some ease.
Stormers 39 Sharks 22
The Stormers were backed from -6.5 to -8.5 following the team announcements, and they duly delivered with a convincing 17-point victory.
I was on the Stormers -8.5, and it was certainly nice to bank a winner during what had been a trying weekend.
I also took R500 off the Oracle on Thursday nights show.
Zebre 12 Edinburgh 29
Edinburgh started as 7.5-point favourites and duly delivered for handicap backers against a Zebre side that looks set for a long and difficult season.
I didn’t watch this game, but I had a play on over 51.5 points, which unfortunately was never a runner.
Scarlets 27 Benetton 26
This game turned into a real thriller, with the Scarlets securing victory through a late penalty.
The Scarlets had been slight favourites at around -4.5, but my only involvement was taking them to win by 1–12 points in a double with the Ulster v Munster game, where I had the same bet on the home team.
Ulster 26 Munster 26
The second leg of my double was Ulster to win by 1–12 points, and with the home side trailing 26-5 at half-time, it looked all over.
Amazingly, Ulster fought back to level the match with only a couple of minutes remaining. I was hoping they would get one final opportunity to win it with a penalty, but it wasn’t to be. Munster regained possession while Ulster were on the attack and kicked the ball out, leaving my double agonisingly short.
Leinster 29 Cardiff 5
Leinster were backed from an opening handicap of -21.5 to -23.5 and duly delivered for their backers, although only just, with a 24-point victory.
I decided to get involved in this game and took Cardiff under 16.5 points, a bet that was never seriously threatened.
Table update
Edinburgh now top the table with 14 points, one ahead of Glasgow Warriors.
The Bulls and Stormers occupy third and fourth place respectively, with both teams on 11 points, while the Sharks are a further point behind on 10.
Cardiff, the Lions and Dragons complete the top eight, with all three sides on nine points. The table remains extremely congested at this early stage of the season, with Munster sitting just outside the playoff places, also on nine points.
Pre-season favourites Leinster have climbed to tenth, but remain six points behind leaders Edinburgh.
Round 4 fixtures
Friday 23 October
Cardiff v Sharks – 20:45 SAST, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Connacht v Zebre – 20:45 SAST, Dexcom Stadium, Galway
Edinburgh v Lions – 20:45 SAST, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
Saturday 24 October
Bulls v Ulster – 13:45 SAST, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Stormers v Scarlets – 16:00 SAST, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Benetton v Glasgow Warriors – 16:00 SAST, Stadio Monigo, Treviso
Leinster v Munster – 19:00 SAST, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Ospreys v Dragons – 20:00 SAST, St Helen’s, Swansea
Look out for our Champions Cup previews this weekend.