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European Champions Cup last 16 predictions
- Exeter +3 vs Bath – 10/11 with BoyleSports
- Bordeaux -8 vs Saracens – 10/11 with BetVictor
- Northampton to win by one to 12 points vs Munster – 6/4 with bet365
The European Champions Cup enters the knockout phase this weekend and there are still plenty of English, Irish and Scottish teams in the reckoning, hoping to end France’s hold over domestic rugby’s top-tier competition.
A French side has walked away with the Champions Cup in each of the last three years with La Rochelle beating Leinster in the last two finals.
Rugby betting sites make Leinster 2/1 favourites to put those defeats behind them and claim a fifth European Cup this season. The next three spots in the outright market are filled by French sides, with La Rochelle an 8/1 chance to become only the second team to win three successive titles after Toulon (2013-15).
Of the six Premiership teams to make it through to the last 16, Northampton Saints have the shortest odds but are still as big as 22/1 to become the first English team since Exeter Chiefs in 2020 to win the Champions Cup.
Northampton’s odds, and those of their domestic counterparts, reflect the uphill battle Premiership sides face to win the title and there could be significantly fewer in the reckoning by the time we reach next weekend’s quarter finals.
Harlequins against Glasgow open up the knockout phase on Friday night at The Stoop and here we’ve picked out our three best bets from gambling sites for the games involving Premiership teams.
Exeter Chiefs vs Bath predictions
(3pm Saturday, TNT Sports 2)
These two teams will be getting to know each other very well in April given they’ll also be facing off in the Premiership at Sandy Park later this month.
Bath are nominal favourites for this first encounter and have won the last three meetings with Exeter, including a 41-24 success earlier this season.
Johann van Graan’s side won three of their four matches in the pool stage, impressively seeing off Racing 92 at home, and the addition of Scotland fly-half Finn Russell has helped them take their game to a new level.
Both sides are 1-1 since the Premiership season resumed after the Six Nations and both shipped 40-plus points last weekend in losing efforts.
The Chiefs were soundly beaten by Sale on a day when it didn’t come together for Rob Baxter’s young side. That loss came on the road though and at Sandy Park, the Chiefs are a different beast
They’ve won 25 of the last 26 games at home in all competitions and claimed the scalps of the Stormers and Montpellier in European knockout games last season on route to the semi-finals.
European rugby seems to bring the best out of Exeter at home and a 10-game unbeaten run at home against Bath suggests the Chiefs are worth consideration as three-point underdogs.
European Champions Cup tip 1: Exeter +3 – 10/11 with BoyleSports
Bordeaux vs Saracens predictions
(5.30pm Saturday, TNT Sports 2)
This is one of five last 16 ties we’ve already seen once this season with Bordeaux slicing and dicing Saracens in the pool stage.
A talented Bordeaux attack ran in nine tries to inflict Saracens’ heaviest-ever European defeat and while the three-time European champions will be determined to avenge that 55-15 defeat, they face a tough task overcoming Bordeaux on home soil.
Bordeaux won both home matches in the Champions Cup pool stage and have won eight out of 10 Top 14 games at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, which will be rocking on Saturday evening.
Having rested Damian Penaud and Matthieu Jalibert last weekend, Bordeaux appear to be all-in on the Champions Cup and this is a massive test for a Saracens team approaching the end of an era.
They were well beaten by Northampton last time out, shipping 40 points, and have lost their last four European away games, three of them by double figures.
The majority of betting sites show Bordeaux as eight-point favourites on the handicap and Yannick Bru’s men look capable of surpassing that mark should their attack click.
European Champions Cup tip 2: Bordeaux -8 – 10/11 with BetVictor
Northampton Saints vs Munster predictions
(12.30pm Sunday, ITV1 & TNT Sports 1)
Northampton are seeded third for the Champions Cup knockout phase after topping their pool with four wins out of four.
Their reward is to have home advantage for the last 16 and quarter-finals, should they get there, as well as a rematch with Munster, who they impressively beat 26-23 at Thomond Park in the pools, despite playing with 14 men for the second half.
Saints warmed up for this game by crushing Saracens and they are a formidable prospect at Franklin’s Gardens, where they’ve won eight in a row, a run that includes victories over French sides Toulon and Bayonne.
However, there are doubts over the fitness of England duo Alex Mitchell and George Furbank going into this last 16 tie, while Munster have won four URC games in a row since their loss to Northampton.
They are hopeful South African colossus RG Snyman will be fit to face Saints, but do still have concerns in the front row and over wing Calvin Nash.
Munster’s Champions Cup love affair is well documented, and they did win at Franklin’s Gardens last year, so their chances aren’t easily dismissed.
But Northampton’s young stars have raised their game this year and paired with experienced heads like skipper Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Sam Matavesi, they are an exciting prospect.
Five of Saints’ eight home league and Champions Cup wins this season have been by 12 points or less and this has the makings of a tight game Northampton can edge.
European Champions Cup Tip 3: Northampton to win by one to 12 points – 6/4 with bet365
European Champions Cup free bet offers
There’s a bumper weekend of European rugby to look forward to with eight Champions Cup ties to enjoy, meaning bettors have plenty of opportunities to earn a free bet via new betting sites.
Mr Mega are a new name on the betting scene and are offering new customers £30 in free bets when they sign up using the link below and wager a minimum of £15 on their first bet.
For fans of online casinos, Mr Mega offer a 100 per cent bonus on your first deposit, up to £150, and 100 free spins on selected casino games to go with their sportsbook welcome package.
Always read the terms and conditions of the sign-up offer before registering with a bookmaker. If you do have a bet this weekend, please gamble responsibly.
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Last Updated: 5th April 2024, 07:46 AM
