Leinster host the Vodacom Bulls in the URC final on Friday the 19th of June at Croke Park and in this preview we track all things betting related.
Betting is out
Posted 07 June 13h12
The bookies have priced up and are very much aligned with my projection (in brackets)
Leinster -8.5 (-8.5) v Bulls
Leinster Road to the Final
Leinster finished second on the regular season table behind the Glasgow Warriors.
Their quarterfinal saw them host the Lions in Dublin and they made very short work of the South Africans, cruising to a 59-10 victory in one of the most dominant performances of the playoffs.
The semifinal against the Stormers proved a far more physical and tactical contest. Leinster were backed from around -12.5 to -14.5 favourites and eventually came through 20-11 in a bruising encounter.
From a betting perspective, my original fancy was Stormers unders on points, a bet which would have arrived comfortably, but unfortunately at the last minute I switched to Leinster -14.5.
Vodacom Bulls Road to the Final
The Bulls finished fourth on the log and their quarterfinal saw them host Munster at Loftus.
They were always in control of that contest, eventually winning 45-14 after a dominant first-half performance.
The semifinal away to Glasgow proved a completely different challenge. The Bulls found themselves 21-3 down after just 24 minutes and looked to be in serious trouble.
But the Bulls produced a remarkable turnaround and, incredibly, did not concede another point in the match, eventually winning 22-21 to knock the defending champions out of the tournament.
From a betting perspective it was a very good game for me as I was on the Bulls at 1.38/1. Earlier in the week they had been available at around 16/10.
Grand Final Handicap Prediction
- Leinster -8.5 vs Vodacom Bulls
The above handicap is my early projection as to where the handicap will start and will be compared to the bookmakers’ lines once the markets are fully released, most likely later today or on Monday.
Early Thoughts
Leinster will start favourites at home and their physicality against the Stormers showed they are prepared to win ugly if necessary.
The Bulls, though, arrive full of confidence after one of the comebacks of the season against Glasgow and they have already shown throughout this campaign that they can compete with anyone when their pack gains ascendancy.