Leinster vs Northampton
Leinster will welcome Northampton to Croke Park in Dublin for this Champions Cup semifinal. A sellout crowd of over 82 000 is expected for this match as the home side are over whelming favourites. Leinster have lost multiple playoffs matches in recent times and will be desperate for the win while the Saints are enjoying a stellar season that sees them currently top of the Premiership. The visitors have nothing to lose and will play their exciting brand of running rugby that has made them one of the most exciting sides in Europe. This match will ultimately come down to the Saints attack up against the Leinster defence.
TIP: It is quite easy to say that Northampton are up against the Irish national team as there a very few uncapped players in the Leinster team. The visitors must avoid an arm wrestle of a match as this will suit the home side. They need to throw caution to the wind and play their natural attacking game as this is the beat way to beat Leinster. One of the highlights of the match will be battle between the scrum halves with Ireland number on taking on the England number one. The bookies have the Leinster as favorites and I’m also tipping them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Tictacbets 1.12, SoccerShop 1.11 and Bettabets 1.12
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
Leinster vs Northampton
- Leinster have won eight of the nine previous matches against the Saints.
- The only ever Saints win was back in 2013.
Latest results for both teams
Leinster lost 42-12 in their last match while the Saints lost 41-32 to Harlequins in their last match.
PREDICTION
There is quality throughout the Leinster team but if they have one weakness is that they generally struggled against very physical teams. The Saints do have some hard men in their pack but nothing that will really trouble the home side. They will need to bring their high tempo, running game if they are to run the Leinster machine even close. The home side shoed in their quarter final demolition of La Rochelle that their scrum is back to it best with Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter all putting in brilliant performances. I am predicting a Leinster win by 17 points.
Probable Starting XVs
Leinster
15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Will Connors, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter.
Northampton Saints
15 George Furbank, 14 James Ramm, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Tom Litchfield, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Sam Graham, 7 Lewis Ludlam (captain), 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Tom Lockett, 4 Temo Mayanavanua, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 Sam Matavesi, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Leinster victory are as follows:
Tictacbets 1.12
SoccerShop 1.11
Bettabets 1.12
Odds comparison on the Leinster handicap:
The complete odds on the Leinster handicap:
Tictacbets 1.90 (-13.5)
SoccerShop 1.90 (-13.5)
Bettabets 1.90 (-13.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There are poor odds on the Leinster outright win therefore we suggest backing the home team on the handicap for better odds. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Tictacbets 1.90 (-13.5), SoccerShop 1.90 (-13.5) and Bettabets 1.90 (-13.5)
Other tips for the weekend (Predicted winners are in BOLD text)
Scarlets vs Sharks
Bath vs Saracens
Harlequins vs Northampton
Leicester vs Bristol Bears
Zebre vs Glasgow
Dragons vs Connacht
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
