The latest Goodforthegame newsletter penned by @BrentGraham with best bets for the 1st and 2nd August including the Currie Cup
This may seem hard to believe, given I only returned from the coast a couple of weeks ago but I have just returned from a week in the bush.
One of my wife's friends' mothers couldn't use her timeshare, and the advantage of us both working remotely meant we could take the opportunity to head up to the Pilanesberg for a relaxing (work) week.
At one point I was on a Teams call when I looked to my right and saw an elephant walking past the unit, fortunately on the other side of the fence, but no more than 10 metres from where I was sitting!
I have no plans this weekend so will be catching all 3 Currie Cup games and will also be keeping an eye on the opening weekend of the Betway Premiership.
THE HANDICAP
I've taken a bit of a break from recording The Handicap, which has coincided with a fairly quiet period on the rugby front, with the Currie Cup dominating proceedings over the past couple of weeks. Excitement is certainly building ahead of the Greatest Rugby Rivalry Tour, which also gets underway next week when the All Blacks take on the Stormers on Friday night.
The show will be back next week in some form or other and if not subbed yet here is the link to our You Tube Channel.
WEEKEND PLAYS
Betway Premiership
Since the World Cup ended there's been very little football and I was surprised to see the Betway Premiership kicking off this weekend. Perhaps I'm just not watching or listening to the right channels (I was in the bush after all), but it feels as though the build-up has been remarkably low key.
Orlando Pirates will be looking to defend their title and I think they, along with fellow Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs, can get off to winning starts against newly promoted Milford and Kruger United respectively. Word on the street is that Kruger United have struggled to pay their players, so I can't imagine the mood in that camp is particularly positive.
I am throwing 2 bets into a double
- Pirates -1.5 goals v Milford at 8/10
- Kaizer Chiefs to win at 0.78/1
Bet: 1 unit (1-5) the double 22/10 at WSB
Currie Cup
After a decent weekend of Currie Cup betting last week, I had a few nervous moments but got off to a good start on Friday night by backing Griquas to beat the Cheetahs.
They looked set for a comfortable victory at one stage before eventually hanging on to win by three points, which was good enough for me after taking the early 0.98/1 about the outright win.
Money had come for Griquas and they started 4.5-point favourites, so anyone who played the middle would have landed nicely.
There are three more games to look forward to over the remainder of the weekend and all bets will be posted in the Currie Cup blog.
The Stormers XXIII take on the Sharks XV this afternoon at 3pm. I made the Sharks favourites for this game, but the handicap has swung between Stormers -0.5 and Sharks -0.5 since opening. From what I can see the Stormers still hold slight favouritism with the bookmakers, but I'm hoping the Sharks can get me over the line.
The Lions host the Blue Bulls at UJ Stadium, where the Lions are 17.5-point favourites and the total points line is a lofty although certainly not unattainable 67.5.
On Sunday, the Boland Cavaliers are 15.5-point favourites as they look to maintain their unbeaten start against a Pumas side still searching for their first win of the season. The total points line there is 62.5.
I must admit there's no obvious value jumping out at me in the remaining Currie Cup fixtures, so I'm going to throw a few rand at this double.
- Under 67.5 Lions v Bulls at 10/11
- Pumas +15.5 at 0.93/1
Bet: 1 unit (1-5) the double at 2.68/1 at Betxchange
Have a great weekend and remember, top class international rugby is just around the corner.
Cheers
BG
@BrentGraham
