England vs Samoa
England take on Samoa, safe in the knowledge that they are through to the quarter finals. Prior to the tournament there was much talk of England not making it past the group stage but a convincing opening round victory over Argentina has given them the confidence they were so badly missing.
Samoa on the other hand came into the tournament with much hype after their excellent performances in the Pacific Cup but unfortunately, they couldn’t deliver when it mattered. They had the opportunity for a place in the knockouts if they beat Japan last time out but came up six points short in a 28-22 defeat.
TIP: England have made a raft of changes for this match with the most significant one being the selection of both George Ford and Owen Farrell. The latter will wear the number 12 jersey while Johnny May and Joe Marchant have been recalled to the wing positions. They can consider themselves lucky after Henry Arundell was dropped despite scoring five tries in the last match. Samoa have selected Lima Sopoaga and this will surely improve their attack as they have struggled to score tries. The bookies have England as favorites and I’m also tipping them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.05, Gbets 1.06 and Hollywoodbets 1.05
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
England vs Samoa
- England have won six of the seven previous encounters between these teams.
- The lone Samoa victory came back in 2014 when they won 15-14.
Latest results for both teams
England beat Chile 71-0 in their last match while Samoa lost 28-22 to Japan in their last match.
PREDICTION
There have not been too many positives for Samoa but one of their stand out performers has been Theo McFarland. The lock has been in sublime form both in the lineouts and in general play. He will be facing many of his Saracen’s teammates with his contest against Maro Itoje one of the highlights in the match. England have generally struggled when Ford and Farrell play together but Coach Borthwick is obviously trying out combinations before the quarter finals. If Sopoaga can fire up his dangerous backline that includes the likes of Duncan Paia’aua and Tumua Manu then we could be in for a close contest. I am predicting an England win by 13 points.
Probable Starting XVs
England
15 Freddie Steward, 14 Joe Marchant, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Samoa
15 Duncan Paia’aua, 14 Nigel Ah-Wong, 13 Tumua Manu, 12 Danny Toala, 11 Neria Fomai, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Fritz Lee, 6 Theo McFarland, 5 Brian Alainu’u’ese, 4 Sam Slade, 3 Michael Alaalatoa (c), 2 Sama Malolo, 1 Jordan Lay
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the England victory are as follows:
Betway 1.05
Gbets 1.06
Hollywoodbets 1.05
Odds comparison on the Samoa handicap:
The complete odds on the Samoa handicap:
Betway 1.90 (+20.5)
Gbets 1.87 (+20.5)
Hollywoodbets 1.89 (+20.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There is no money to be made on the England outright win therefore we suggest backing Samoa on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.90 (+20.5),Gbets 1.87 (+20.5) and Hollywoodbets 1.89 (+20.5)
Other tips for the weekend (Predicted winners are in BOLD text)
Canterbury vs Auckland
Taranaki vs Tasman
Wales vs Georgia
Tonga vs Romania
Ireland vs Scotland
Japan vs Argentina
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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.