26-09-2021 Daily Predictions Gallagher Premiership London Irish vs Sale Sharks

London Irish vs Sale Sharks

London Irish are on a horror run against the Sale Sharks and have lost the last eight games. I feel this could be the match that Irish break their duck as the Sharks are missing a few first team regulars. Sale had scrapped a victory 20-19 in their last match and showed how much the missing players affected them. Irish lost their first game away to Worcester but showed great promise in attack. They will need to work on their defence as they face players like Manu Tuilagi and Marland Yarde. They must also know that Sale play a forward dominated game especially as they have so many South Africans on their books. The battle up front will be fierce and Irish are also loaded with internationals in their pack. There are many head to head contests but the battle at hooker between Agustin Creevy and Akker van der Merwe stands out. The Argentinian is the best in the business at the breakdown while the South African is excellent with ball in hand which makes for an intriguing contest.

TIP: London Irish have made a name for themselves for never giving up and have comeback from almost impossible situations before falling agonisingly short in matches.They need to start their games better instead of playing catch up all the time. The Sale Sharks team are always fast out of the block so if Irish can with stand the initial onslaught I feel they could cause an upset in this match. They look very good when the ball goes out to their dangerous back line with the impressive Ollie Hassell-Collins leading the way. The match will be decided by the forwards and this is an area that both teams look very well matched so it will be a tight contest. The bookies have Sale as slight favourites but I’m backing the Irish to cause an upset. The best odds on this bet are as follows:  Worldsportsbetting 2.35, Playabets 2.36 and Sunbet 2.30

HEAD TO HEAD STATS

London Irish vs Sale Sharks

• Sale Sharks have won the last eight matches between the sides.
• The last win for Irish in this fixture was in 2015.
• London Irish have lost their last home matches to the Sharks.

Latest results for both teams

London Irish lost their last match 36-24 to Worcester while Sale Sharks won their match against Bath 20-19..

PREDICTION

Both the teams have international quality in their side with the Sharks dangerman being the powerful Manu Tuilagi. He is over his injury and when fully fit he is among the most dangerous ball carriers in the game. Curtis Rona and his midfield partner will have their hands full trying to contain him. Rona himself is a silky runner who always looks for the offload and with men like Collins and Tom Parton around, if those off loads stick then the Sharks will be in trouble. These teams have both very experienced flyhalf’s who are both internationals and the 10 that can better ignite their dangerous backlines will win this game. I think this game will go down to the wire with the Irish winning the match at the death by 5 points.

• Probable Starting XVs

London Irish

15 Tom Parton, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ben White, 8 Albert Tuisue, 7 Ben Donnell, 6 Matt Rogerson (c), 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke

Sale Sharks

15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Sam James, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Raffi Quirke, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Cameron Neild, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Bevan Rodd

Odds for this bet

The best odds on the London Irish victory are as follows:

Worldsportsbetting 2.35

Playabets 2.36

Sunbet 2.30

Odds comparison on the London Irish handicap :

The complete odds on the London Irish handicap:

Worldsportsbetting (+2.5) 1.90

Sunbet (+2.5) 1.87

Playabets (+2.5) 1.94

Predictions and Odds in details

The breakdown area will be hotly contested by both teams as they have excellent fetchers in their team. The other area that could decide the match is the lineouts. London Irish have the Wallabies lock pairing of Adam Coleman and Rob Simmons. They will not only be looking to win their own ball but they must disrupt the Sharks lineout ball. The Sharks love the rolling maul and score many of their tries with the maul. Once they have the maul set it is very difficult to stop. Disrupting their ball at lineout may be the best option for Irish. The bookies are offering great returns on the London Irish upset win but if you looking for more of a safety bet then I suggest Irish on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting (+2.5) 1.90, Sunbet (+2.5) 1.87 and Playabets (+2.5) 1.94