Round 9 of the URC beings home matches for Leinster, Stormers, and Blue Bulls and a BetXchange odds boost that offers 1/1 odds on either side of the point spread in the game between Zebre and Glasgow!
Here is a look at some of the games with odds from BetXchange.
Stormers VS Dragons – DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Stormers are massive favorites to beat the Dragons here, and the line is set at 19.5 points in their favor. The Dragons did plenty right in their 33-25 loss to the Lions last time out, and Wales international hooker Bradley Roberts will strengthen their side in the front row on his return from international duty. Stormers will be boosted by returning internationals, with a pair of Springboks’ locks in Marvin Orie and Salmaan Moerat starting. Manie Libbok returns at fly half, and his partnership in the halves with Herschel Jantkies will be important. I expect Stormers to win here, but that line is a big one, and the Welsh side will cover late.
Zebre VS Glasgow Warriors – Stadio Sergio Lafranchi. Parma
The line here is 11.5 points, and this is the match where BetXchange is having a 1/1 special making it well worth a bet. Glasgow is the favorite as they return six players to their team for this trip to Italy, including five Scotland internationals. Zander and Matt Fagerson. Sione Tuipulotu, and Ollie Smith all return after the November Tests, while Richie Gray brings his presence back into the lock position post a suspension. Zerbe is the bottom side in the URC, but they might fancy their chances against a Glasgow team yet to win on the road this season. In the end, I think the Scottish team will do more than enough to win by a couple of tries here, especially back to something like full strength.
Blue Bulls VS Cardiff – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Anyone who said they saw Cardiff beating the Sharks 35-0 in Durban last weekend is lying. It was a result that shocked the competition, one that the URC honestly needed to show that the European teams – especially those not Irish – can perform well and win on South African soil. The result was so shocking that even with that massive win, the Dragons are 18.5 point underdogs in Pretoria against the Vodacom Bulls. Five Springboks come into the Bulls’ side – Kurt-Lee Arendse is in at fullback and Johan Goosen at pivot – and those players, plus the feeling they are now playing for the pride of South Africa, will see the Bulls clear the cover.
Leinster VS Ulster – RDS Arena, Dublin
Irish derbies are always fun, and this top-of-the-table clash should be no different. Ulster has made nine changes to their side, with players like Iain Henderson, Mike Lowry, and John Cooney all back in the side after missing due to a mixture of international appearances and rest against a bad Zebre squad. Ulster won this match last season, beating Leinster for the first time in eight years and taking them down in Dublin, which they hadn’t done in two decades. However, Leinster got the better of Ulster 20-13 in Round 3 this season in Belfast and have players like James Lowe and Hugo Keenan making their first starts of the season for their province. I expect this to be tight, so taking the away side +10.5 feels like the right move.
