Super 14 Picks Round 13
Game 78: Hurricanes v Force: Hurricanes by 14
Game 79: Bulls v Brumbies: Bulls by 8
Game 80: Highlanders v Blues: Blues by 19
Game 81: Reds v Crusaders: Crusaders by 14
Game 82: Sharks v Cheetahs: Sharks by 16
Game 83: Lions v Chiefs: Chiefs by 21
Game 84: Stormers v Waratahs: Stormers by 6
Some good games in prospect this weekend, and only the last one looks slightly contentious - go for another accumulator with Bet365 and hope Game 84 goes our way!
Guinness Premiership nears the finale
In a way, it’s a shame that Gloucester and Bath are already guaranteed a semi-final berth - their showdown this weekend would have taken on much more importance.
As it is, Wasps and Sale have it all to play for, the former taking on lowly Leeds and almost assured of a place, the latter taking on London Irish at Edgeley Park.
Harlequins and Leicester are the only other teams with an outside chance of climbing into the last four - they play each other on Saturday and will need other results to go their way.
Leicester’s defeat to Newcastle, and then Wasps bonus point victory over the same team has slightly taken the sting out of the tail of the playoff race. Gloucester, Bath, Wasps and Sale should make it, and set up a fascinating knockout finale.
The final is on 31st May at Twickenham - end of season specialists Wasps, and consistently strong Gloucester are currently joint favourites (9/4 with Paddy Power).
This week on The Betting Blog
It’s another relatively quiet week in the sports betting world, although the football and rugby premierships are coming to an end and nothing is guaranteed just yet.
The Super 14 is also reaching the knockout stages and a number of teams are still in contention. We’ll be having a look at potential winners and losers in all three leagues and keeping an eye on where the value might be for a cheeky punt.
Let us know what you are betting on this week, and if there is anything else you’d like us to preview.
Have a good week all.
Super 14 Picks Round 12
Here are my picks for this weekend’s matches. I’m slightly late posting these, but I was pretty close on the first two.
Game 71: Crusaders v Sharks: Crusaders by 7
Game 72: Reds v Blues: Blues by 8
Game 73: Cheetahs v Highlanders: Highlanders by 5
Game 74: Hurricanes v Lions: Hurricanes by 22
Game 75: Force v Chiefs: Chiefs by 9
Game 76: Bulls v Waratahs: Waratahs by 12
Game 77: Stormers v Brumbies: Stormers by 6
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stephen Hendry
This is a semi-final line-up that those at 888 could only have dreamed about. Hendry hasn’t won the World Championships since 1999, but has shown that class never fades at this years Crucible event.
Some say that Hendry is the greatest snooker player ever in terms of results and competitions won, and that O’Sullivan is the greatest snooker player ever in terms of natural talent.
This match is a mouth-watering prospect for snooker fans, with two greats of the game going head-to-head.
Ronnie is the favourite at 3/8 with Pinnacle, and rightly so after his impressive form thus far - his 147 this week was certainly something to behold.
However, I suggest backing Hendry on the handicap of +3.5 with Bet365 - we know he has the big match temperament, and he should push Ronnie all the way.
It’s worth having a look at Sporting Index as well if you can ‘bet in play’. They offer spreads on the number of points in each frame, and there is some money to be made on minority sports like this.
Champions League second legs
Can Gerrard help Liverpool reach the final again?
It’s another Champions League week as the semi-finals reach the decisive second legs. Both first legs resulted in a draw, so the prospect of penalties to decide the winner is a very real one.
Manchester United and Chelsea are the favourites to progress, with the second leg fixtures being played at their Home grounds.
Again, it’s worth looking for the special offers on big events like this. Boylesports are offering to refund any first / last / anytime goalscorer, correct score and half-time / full-time bets on that match if either game goes to a penalty shootout.
Then, keeping on the penalty theme, Paddy Power will refund any losing first / last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on that match if a penalty is scored in either game in normal time.
With these in mind, an anytime scorer bet on newly crowned Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo, must be worth a shout with Boylesports.
Later this week, we’ll be keeping an eye on the snooker, Guinness Premiership, Super 14 and the weekend’s football - in the meantime, post a comment to let us know where your money is going this week.
Heineken Cup Semi-final preview
It’s one of the biggest weekends in domestic rugby with just four teams remaining in the Heineken Cup, battling it out for a coveted place in the final.
Few would have bet against Munster and Toulouse being there or thereabouts at this stage, but very few would have backed Saracens and London Irish to be making up the quartet.
These two teams have been the ’story’ of the competition, with consistent but fairly indifferent form in the Guinness Premiership, yet stepping up their performance on Cup weekends. Saracens’ win over the Ospreys was the highlight of the competition for me, and seeing Richard Hill at the top of his game was priceless.
Hill will need another heroic performance to overcome Munster on Sunday. The Irish side come into their own in the European competition, and although the national team has been misfiring of late, Munster’s victory over Leicester was anything but unconvincing.
Munster are experts at controlling a game from start to finish, imposing their style of play on the match and not letting the other side get a sniff of dominance. It should be a fine fixture, and although Sarries can’t be written off, I’m backing Munster to reach the final.
London Irish also face a fearsome task as they entertain Toulouse at Twickenham. The French will play at a lightning fast pace, looking to set free their exciting back line. The Exiles will want to exert their control on the game, and are likely to opt for a tighter game.
The set-piece should be crucial, and if Paice and Kennedy are on song in the lineout, Geraghty and Hewat can look to play a territorial game, picking up points when they can. Unfortunately for them, Ellisalde’s side have the ability to strike from wherever they are on the pitch, and I expect them to be too much for London Irish.
Unfortunately, you won’t get great odds by backing the favourites - the best odds are currently at SportingBet - so go for a Double on two Away wins.
Super 14 Picks - Round 11
There were a couple of unexpected results last week, with the Crusaders and the Sharks both losing their first games of the season, the race for the semi-final places is definitely on.
There are still eight teams in with a chance of reaching the knockout stages, and the Stormers and the Chiefs seem to be the fastest movers up the ‘log’. The Waratahs are still in the top four thanks to consistently strong performances, whilst the Hurricanes have slipped after their defeat to the Stormers last week.
The match of the round looks to be the Waratahs v the Sharks, with the South Africans hoping to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later.
Here are my predictions for this week’s matches.
Crusaders v Blues: Crusaders by 14
Brumbies v Lions: Brumbies by 24
Chiefs v Reds: Chiefs by 15
Waratahs v Sharks: Waratahs by 7
Cheetahs v Hurricanes: Hurricanes by 14
Stormers v Highlanders: Stormers by 12
Barcelona v Manchester United
I’m struggling to spot any good value for this match at the moment, and with the sight of Jon Arne Riise’s own goal still tickling me, it’s yet another reminder that anything can happen in a game like this.
There are however, a couple of special offers to consider:
Place a First Goalscorer bet and if your player fails to score the first goal but scores at any other time in the match Victor Chandler will refund your stake as a free bet on any future match.
If Lionel Messi scores the last goal of the game, Boylesports will refund losing first/last/anytime goalscorer, scorecast, correct score & half time/full time single bets on this match.
If anyone has any good tips or advice, please share it here!
Snooker Betting - Rocket Ronnie in action
Ronnie O’Sullivan takes his bow in the 2008 World Snooker Championship this afternoon, and this usually causes a flurry of betting activity.
He faces Liu Chuang of China, and will want to make his mark on a tournament that he is a strong favourite to win -the best odds on him lifting the trophy are 3/1 at William Hill.
He is available at just over 3/1 on Betfair to make the highest break on the championship, whilst Sporting Index are offering a spread of 134-136 as his highest break of the championship. This is a good one to sell, since if he does achieve a higher break than 136, you will be limited to an 11-point loss - if he crashes out early one without really firing, this might offer a good payout.
For the first round match, take Liu Chuang on a handicap of +5.5 at 1.73 with Bet365.
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