Stormers v Bulls

By Loosehead

Stormers v Bulls



11th June 17:10GMT - Sky Sports 3

Without doubt, the match of the weekend takes place at Newlands where the Stormers host the Bulls.  The hosts have been in fine form all season with 11 victories from 14 attempts whereas the Bulls made a slow start to the season but have won their last 5 matches.

It is an important game for both sides.  A loss for the Bulls would probably rule out any hope of progression to the knock out stages whereas a victory for the Stormers will secure them a home play off match.  With so much at stake I can see this being a closely fought affair and one that is likely to go down to the wire.  I can see both sides winning this contest but I have to slightly favour the Stormers given that they have home advantage and that their overall form profile reads marginally superior to that of the Bulls.  On that basis, I will be recommending wagers on both sides to win by narrow margins albeit with a higher stake on the hosts to reflect the level of confidence.

Whilst conditions are expected to be perfect for running rugby, there is no escaping the fact that the Stormers defence has only conceded an average of 15 points in their home matches this season.  With such focus on this area, they are slightly lacking in attack and indeed their home matches this season have produced average total points of 38, which is very low for this competition.  An ‘unders’ bet on the total points line set in the low forties therefore looks very much the percentage call.

Selections:

Stormers to beat Bulls by 1-12 points – 2.5 points at 2.95 Bwin

Bulls to beat Stormers by 1-12 points – 1.5 points at 3.5 Bet365

Draw – 0.25 points at 26 Betfair

Total points under 42 – 4 points at 2 Bet365

Loosehead