England vs Samoa betting tips:
- England -21.5 points – 10/11 at bet365
- England to win by 31-35 points – 8/1 with Betfred
- Owen Farrell anytime try scorer – 4/1 with BetMGM
The England Rugby World Cup team have come in for plenty of criticism regarding their style of play but their performances have been solid and they stand proudly at the top as winners of Pool D.
They will face the runner-up from Pool C, most likely Fiji, in the quarter-finals in Marseille on 15 October.
Not surprisingly, England are heavily odds-on with UK bookmakers to beat Samoa at the weekend and coach Steve Borthwick has plenty of options for the starting line-up.
The potential to rack up a hefty score has become evident during the World Cup and after beating Argentina by 17 points and Japan by 22 points, they thrashed Chile 71-0.
Have faith in England to cover the spread
Accused of boring play in some quarters, England have stood steadfastly by their individual game plans and there can be no denying they have worked perfectly up to now.
Having conceded only 22 points, the lowest of any team in the event, the defence is performing their job perfectly. There is little reason to suppose they will not restrict Samoa to a minimum number of points in this match.
Samoa beat Chile easily enough, which is no surprise, but they looked decidedly moderate when playing higher-quality sides in Japan and Argentina so England should have little to fear on that evidence.
The bookmakers pushed the handicap line up to 21.5 points after the teams were announced but England still look capable of covering that spread.
With starting places in the knockout stages up for grabs, the players will be out to impress the coach from the start and England should be able to get some points on the board early in the game.
Their kicking game is solid and accurate and with Farrell and Ford starting, we expect plenty of points in that department. They also have players who are more than capable of running in a few tries.
Tip: England -21.5 points - 10/11 at bet365
Betting on England winning margin
Winning margins are difficult to predict but with England expected to secure a comfortable success, it could potentially pay off to take a chance on this market.
It is doubtful that England will be able to produce a total demolition job like the one against Chile but a win by more than 30 points does not look out of range and the latest Rugby World Cup odds give punters multiple options in the winning margin market.
With England expected to force penalties against Samoa in the first half and penalty takers Owen Farrell and George Ford in top kicking form, the points could tally up nicely as the game progresses.
England can run in a few tries in the second half, if not before, with a winning margin of between 31-35 points seemingly achievable.
Tip: England to win by 31-35 points – 8/1 with Betfred
Farrell on the hunt for points
Captain Owen Farrell requires just two more points to end the 22-year reign of Jonny Wilkinson as the all-time leading point scorer for England.
He has yet to make a try in 11 appearances in the Rugby World Cup, but if England are cruising to victory in the second half, he may well find himself in a position to do so.
He is offered at huge prices to be the last try scorer of the match but that could be asking for too much and a better option could be a small interest on Farrell in the anytime try scorer market at a general price of 4/1.
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Last Updated: 2nd July 2024, 02:16 PM