Lions vs Stormers
The Lions and Stormers kick of the action in the South Africa conference section of the United Rugby Championship. It’s the classic North vs South derby that is sure to be physical and exciting. The home team will be glad they are facing the Stormers at a time when they are missing their Springboks who are in France. The visitors do however have enough depth in their squad and have been further boosted by the return of fullback Warrick Gelant and wing Courtnall Skosan from their European ventures. The Lions were desperately unlucky not to make the playoffs last season and will want to win their first home game.
TIP: The Stormers selection in the pivot position could be a surprise as Clayton Blommetjies played there in the pre-season matches and actually looked quite at home. The Lions will be looking to play their usual fast paced game although that could be risky in their first match of the season. The match will be decided in the forwards and both teams are evenly matched in this department, so a close match is expected. The bookies have the Stormers as favorites and I’m also tipping them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.47, Gbets 1.48 and Hollywoodbets 1.47
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
Lions vs Stormers
- The Stormers have won the last three matches against the Lions.
- The Lions have not won at home against the Stormers since 2019.
Latest results for both teams
This is the first match of the new season.
PREDICTION
The Lions will be boosted by the return of flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse after his long injury layoff last season. He will be key in launching the homes sides exciting backline that includes the likes of Edwill van der Merwe and Quan Horn. The Stormers have lost a lot of their pack from last season and it remains to be seen how they cope with those losses. They have signed former London Irish winger Ben loader who is sure to add an extra dimension to their team with his pace and guile. We could see a lot of kicking in this match as the teams shake off the rustiness. We predict a Stormers by 5 points.
Probable Starting XVs
Lions
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Quan Horn, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Travis Gordon, 5 Reinhardt Nothnagel (co-captain), 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Ruan Smith, 2 Pieter Botha, 1 Asenathi Ntlabakanye.
Stormers
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Willie Engelbrecht, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Neethling Fouche (captain), 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Kwenzo Blose.
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Stormers victory are as follows:
Betway 1.47
Gbets 1.48
Hollywoodbets 1.47
Odds comparison on the Lions handicap:
The complete odds on the Lions handicap:
Betway 1.90 (+5.5)
Gbets 1.87 (+5.5)
Hollywoodbets 1.89 (+5.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There is only decent odds on the Stormers outright win therefore we suggest backing the home side on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.90 (+5.5), Gbets 1.87 (+5.5) and Hollywoodbets 1.89 (+5.5)
Other tips for the weekend (Predicted winners are in BOLD text)
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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.
