The Rugby Tipster keeps you up-to-date with the latest on each round of matches in the Gallagher Premiership. Our in-depth knowledge of form and team selection can guide your rugby betting selections.
LEICESTER TIGERS
Sunday 4th October
15:00
PREDICTION – QUINS BY 8
HARLEQUINS
Chris Robshaw did not get the winning send-off he’d dreamt of at the Twickenham Stoop in midweek but his 300th and final game should end on a high.
Leicester Tigers offered very little in attack in losing to Bristol Bears, kicking the ball almost as many times as they passed it, and while Ben Youngs and George Ford will give them more direction, Quins look the more cohesive and stronger team on paper.
Quins were deservedly beating Wasps in their last outing until hooker Elia Elia got sent off and can be backed at +3 on the handicap (10/11) or 13/8 for a straight win.
LONDON IRISH
Sunday 4th October
15:00
PREDICTION – BRISTOL BY 12
BRISTOL BEARS
The uncertainty surrounding Sale Sharks’ game against Worcester Warriors, now rescheduled for Wednesday, all being well, could affect Bristol’s headspace.
Had Sale’s game been definitely going ahead at the same time, at 3 o’clock on Sunday, the Bears would go into the match knowing a win would almost definitely be needed.
While Pat Lam will still have his side fired-up and ready to go, the clinical finishing we’ve seen from Bristol may take a while to click into gear, especially as London Irish are nobody’s mugs.
Some of their performances have been better than the results have shown and any side that can boast a front-row of Allan Dell, Agustin Creevy and Sekope Kepu needs to be respected.
By giving them a 21-point head start (10/11), the bookies appear to have downplayed the threat they could pose, even though the Bears’ team is close to full strength.
SALE SHARKS
Sunday 4th October
15:00
PREDICTION – POSTPONED
WORCESTER WARRIORS
Coming soon…
SARACENS
Sunday 4th October
15:00
PREDICTION – SARRIES BY 6
BATH RUGBY
Bath have taken some frightful hammerings at Allianz Park in recent years, shipping an average of 48 points in their last three outings.
Saracens have won 16 out of the last 20 encounters between the clubs in all competitions and always seem to find a way to get the better of the men from The Rec.
One thing you can ill afford to do when playing Bath is to give them easy field position otherwise they’ll kick to the corners and use their powerful maul.
As the most disciplined side in terms of penalties conceded, Saracens are well-equipped to prevent this happening. That said, the 7/2 about Bath hooker Tom Dunn scoring a try at any time in the match looks appealing given he has managed four in four games.
Even so, Bath will go there confident they can rewrite history and get the win they need to be certain of making the play-offs.
Points shouldn’t be in short supply, either, as Saracens have continued to rack up the tries despite the predicament they find themselves in, while Bath are now unrecognisable from the blunt attacking force they were before lockdown, scoring 33 tries in their last eight outings.
Calling the winner is a tough one because Saracens will be emotionally invested in the match due to it being their last in the top flight for some time, while Bath will be pumped up with that top-four spot up for grabs.
Both line-ups are hugely impressive, although Bath lose a little at blindside, as worthy as a competitor Mike Williams is, without either Tom Ellis and Zach Mercer in the back
A narrow defeat for Bath, possibly with two bonus points, could be on the cards.
WASPS
Sunday 4th October
15:00
PREDICTION – WASPS BY 25
EXETER CHIEFS
Wasps are coming up against arguably the best team in Europe but can be backed with supreme confidence to register their sixth consecutive win.
With their focus firmly on the bigger matches to come and first place and a home semi-final assured, Chiefs boss Rob Baxter has sent a weakened team to Coventry.
By contrast, Wasps field the spine of the side that has got them to where they are, eight points off the pace in second.
Twenty-one of Wasps tries have come across their last three matches and it wouldn’t be a shock if that average wasn’t too badly dented by the time Tom Foley blows his final whistle on Sunday.
