25-09-2021 Daily Predictions United Rugby Championship Benetton vs Stormers

Benetton vs Stormers

This is the first meeting between the sides and the initial prospects don’t look good for the Stormers. They lost heavily to the Bulls and then the Bulls went on to lose against Benetton by a big margin. Obviously we can’t use that to be the forecast for this match but the Stormers do face an uphill battle. There have been personnel changes for both these teams since their last competitive match. The Italians have lost their first choice 10 and 15 in Paolo Garbisi and Jaydon Hayward. These were stalwarts for this team and I think they will struggle to replace them. The Stormers recently signed Manie Libbok and he is immediately drafted into the side in the number 10 jersey. Both these sides’ have strong forward packs and the side that gets the upper hand in the pack will win this contest.

TIP: The Stormers have shown an over reliance on their scrum and if Benetton can hold their own at scrum time then it will force the Stormers to deviate from their game plan. The selection of Libbok at 10 is an interesting decision as he often has problems controlling a game and it will be his first overseas match in two years. It would have made more sense to start with Tim Swiel who has experience playing in Europe. The Italians love to use their driving maul and are very effective when it works so the Stormers need to have their maul defence working well. The bookies have Benetton as favourites and I am also tipping them for the win. . The best odds on this bet are as follows:  Worldsportsbetting 1.42, Playabets 1.50 and Sunbet 1.49

HEAD TO HEAD STATS

Benetton vs Stormers

  • This is the first match between the two sides.

Latest results for both teams

Benetton beat the Bulls 35-8 in their last match while the Stormers lost 48-31 to the Bulls in their last match.

PREDICTION

The Stormers strength lies in their forwards particularly in the loose trio with Evan Roos, Willie Engelbrecht and Deon Fourie. Roos has had a phenomenal season and will want to show his strength and skill on the international stage. The Italians also have a formidable pack and if they can lay a platform for the backs then the Stormers will be in trouble. They have the dangerous Ratuva Tavuyara and Monty Ioane on the wings. If they can spread the ball out to them then we are in for an exciting match as these guys are proven try scorers. The Stormers also have great wings in Sergeal Petersen and Edwill van der Merwe. The battle between the wingers will be one of the highlights in this match. The Italians at home in front of their supporters will be too strong for this Stormers team and I predict a home win by 9 points

  • Probable Starting XVs

Benetton

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Marco Zanon, 12 Joaquin Riera, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage (c), 8 Riccardo Favretto, 7 Michele Lamaro, 6 Manuel Zuliani, 5 Carl Wegner, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Tiziano Pasquali, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Nahuel Chaparro

Stormers

15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Salmaan Moerat (cc), 4 Ernst van Rhyn (cc), 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Leon Lyons

Odds for this bet

The best odds on the Benetton victory are as follows:

Worldsportsbetting 1.42

Playabets 1.50

Sunbet 1.49

Odds comparison on the Benetton handicap victory :

The complete odds on the Benetton handicap victory:

Worldsportsbetting (-6.5) 1.90

Sunbet (-4.5) 1.90

Playabets (-4.5) 1.88

Predictions and Odds in details

The front row battle will be intense as there is international quality on both sides with Scarra Ntubeni from the Stormers and Nahuel Chaparro. The Italians pride themselves on the scrum and if they can win this contest in the front row then they will come away with the win. The player that I think will show his class is Ruhan Nel. The former Sevens star is powerful and always seems to find the gap. His offloading game is among the best in the competition. The Italians are captained by Dewaldt Duvenage and this match will have added spice as he is a former Stormers player. We can expect him to get a special welcome from his former mates. The bookies offer decent returns on the Benetton outright victory but I suggest the value bet on the home team to overcome the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting (-6.5) 1.90, Sunbet (-4.5) 1.90 and Playabets (-4.5) 1.88

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