Lions vs Griquas
The Lions will be playing their first home match of the season when they take on the Griquas at Emirates Park. The home side have been an excellent start to the season winning away at the Sharks and Pumas. Their win in Nelspruit was their best performance in many seasons as they blew last year’s finalists away 75-21. The Griquas have had a mixed start to their season, losing their first match but bounced back last week to defeat the Sharks. They overturned a 20 point halftime deficit to win the match 34-31 with Lubabalo Dobela kicking the winning penalty in the 80th minute.
TIP: The Griquas suffered a cruel blow in their first match when they talisman George Whitehead got injured in the opening minutes. They struggled without him but his replacement Dobela came to the party when it mattered most. The Lions on the other hand are sitting pretty with two wins from two. The star of the last match was debutant Sam Francis as he dominated the game from his flyhalf position. The contest between him and Dobela standas out as one of the highlights. The bookies have the Lions as favorites and I am also backing them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Tictacbets 1.22, Playabets 1.22 and Bettabets 1.22
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
Lions vs Griquas
- The Griquas have won the last four matches between the sides.
- The last time the Lions beat the Griquas was in 2021.
Latest results for both teams
The Lions beat the Pumas 75-21 in their last match while the Griquas beat the Sharks 34-31 in their last match.
PREDICTION
The Lions are finally reaping the rewards of having excellent U21 teams in the last few seasons. Those players have made the transition to senior rugby seamlessly and will be difficult to stop. They are playing a high tempo game that is difficult to defend against and with their new star Francis in the pivot position pulling the strings. The Griquas will need to start better than the last match as it is almost impossible to play catch up rugby against Lions at altitude. One of the other standout players for the Lions is winger Rabs Maxwane as his pace and side step is among the best in the competition. I am predicting a Lions win by more than 13 points.
Probable Starting XVs
Lions
15 Gianni Lombard, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Sibahle Maxwane, 10 Sam Francis, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Izan Esterhuizen, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruben Schoeman, 4 Raynard Roets, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 Jaco Visagie (captain), 1 Morgan Naudé.
Griquas
15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Marcqiewn Titus, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Sako Makata, 10 Lubabalo Dobela, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Hanru Sirgel, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Stephan Smit (captain), 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Athenkosi Khetani, 3 Janu Botha, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Leon Lyons
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Lions victory are as follows:
Tictacbets 1.22
Playabets 1.22
Bettabets 1.22
Odds comparison on the Lions handicap:
The complete odds on the Lions handicap:
Tictacbets 1.90 (-9.5)
Playabets 1.87 (-9.5)
Bettabets 1.89 (-9.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There are poor odds on the Bulls outright win therefore we suggest the away team on the handicap for better odds. The best odds on this bet are as follows Tictacbets 1.90 (-9.5), Playabets 1.87 (-9.5) and Bettabets 1.89 (-9.5)
Other tips for the weekend (Predicted winners are in BOLD text)
England U20 vs France U20
SA U20 vs Wales U20
Australia vs Georgia
New Zealand vs Fiji
South Africa vs Portugal
Griffons vs WP
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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.
