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The URC returns after a two-week hiatus when teams competed across Europe in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. Clubs will be raring for a return to domestic action ahead of the international break in a further two weeks.
The URC returns after a two-week hiatus when teams competed across Europe in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. Clubs will be raring for a return to domestic action ahead of the international break in a further two weeks.
Each side will have their own ambitions and where they want to place themselves ahead of the next hiatus, with several battling it out at the top of the table for seeded positions in the playoffs, others just aiming to be in contention for the top eight by the end of the campaign, while others will just want to make a good account of themselves and hopefully pick up a victory in the next two rounds.
Punters will be interested to see how each club shapes up ahead of these important fixtures, from their stats and the squads they name for each fixture. Some people will look for the easy bet that is guaranteed to make them a return, while others will take the risk for a bigger winning.
Well at ATR, we have you covered in both.
Momentous opening day for Connacht
Leinster are currently on a run of 11 consecutive wins across both the URC and the Champions Cup, while Connacht have been struggling this season domestically, though they have progressed in the Challenge Cup. However, there are hopes that the hosts will win this one, with it set to be a statement win in the Stuart Lancaster era, with the Dexcom Stadium set to open its redeveloped stand, which has increased the capacity of the venue. Connacht will want to make this incredible occasion with a win against the biggest province in Ireland.
In order to achieve this, Lancaster has named as strong a squad as possible, while Leinster have rotated the squad slightly but are still strong enough to be considered favourites for the game.'
According to the URC website, Leinster have the second-best attack in the competition, with Leo Cullen’s side having utilised offloads to break through opposition defences, having 101 of them to this point, gaining a total of 3911 metres and 84 clean breaks. Compared to the Connacht attack, which is viewed as the ninth-best in the URC, with Lancasters side having made half as many offloads, only carrying a total of 2977 metres with 53 clean breaks.
Leinster’s defence has been impressive in some areas at times this season particularly their ability to deny the opponent when they enter the attacking 22. Cullen’s side have been able to deny the opposition from scoring 33.7% of the time when their 22 has been entered, the second-best rate across the top three domestic leagues in Europe. Connacht will be wary of their failed tackles that have led to tries or breaks, with the visitors keen to exploit this, as 32.5% of missed tackles have led to this for Lancaster’s side.
The Odds
According to Odds Leinster have been made clear favourites for this game, as they have been given odds of 33/100 by BetMGM, meaning that with a £10 bet you could win £3.30 along with your initial backing. While the same company believes Connacht are considerable underdogs, as they have been given odds of 47/20, meaning that if you bet £10, you would win £23.50 along with your initial backing.
Punters may be interested to see the handicap on offer for this fixture. There may be interest in putting money on a -12 points difference for Leinster to make up, with the odds at BoyleSports being 6/4, meaning if you put £4 on them, you will win £6.
Meanwhile, the best offer for Connacht comes from BetVictor at 5/6 odds. If you opt to put money on Connacht, you have a +8 for the game, meaning that they start the game with an extra eight points. On a bet of £6, you would win £5 plus your initial backing.
A jolly trip to Parma for the Warriors
For those punters that want to put their money on a game where the outcome is almost guaranteed to be a win, they will be keen for the Zebre Parma match with Glasgow Warriors. The Scottish side has named a team full of international stars to travel to Italy for this one as they aim to continue their fine start to the URC campaign, with there being a slim chance they can move top of the league with a victory. Meanwhile, Zebre have rotated their squad slightly for this fixture despite occupying the second-bottom position in the division.
Glasgow have the best attack in the division according to the URC website, as they have registered the most tries with 37 and gained the most metres with 4181 while beating 235 defenders in the process. They should seriously test the Zebre defence, so they will need to be at their best and improve upon their missed tackle rate, particularly when it leads to tries and breaks, as they have one of the worst statistics across the top three domestic competitions. The Italians have seen 39% of their missed tackles lead to either a try or a break, which, when they face this Glasgow team, could prove decisive.
The Odds
Zebre have been made significant underdogs for this match. The Italian side have been given odds of 10.0 to be winners of this game by BetWay from Odds Checker, which means that if you put £1 on the match, you will receive £10 in return. While the best offer for Glasgow to be winners is from BetMGM, as they have given them odds of 1/9, meaning that if you put a £9 bet on, you would win £1, giving a total return of £10.
Punters may be interested to see the handicap on offer for this fixture, with the best offer being for Zebre, as BoyleSports, according to Odds Checker, are offering the Italian side at a +17.5 points handicap for 5/6. This means that if you bet £6, you would win £5, giving you a return of £13. This means that Zebre would start the game with an extra 17.5 points. Meanwhile, the best handicap for Glasgow would be the offer from BoyleSports. On a handicap of -25, they are offering odds of 17/10 for them to make up the difference and win. This means that if you put a £10 bet on, you would win £17, giving you a total return of £27.
