The Super Rugby action continues in Round 4 with two intriguing matchups. Both the Rebels and Waratahs are looking for a crucial win on Friday night as they push for a top 2 spot on the table. Meanwhile, the winless Western Force will aim for their first victory as they battle the Brumbies at Leichhardt Oval.
Super Rugby Preview Round 4 Betting Tips
Melbourne Rebels vs NSW Waratahs
(Fri, Jul 3 7:05pm)
The Waratahs will count themselves as very unlucky after a 1 point loss against the Brumbies last week. After flying out to a 20-5 lead after 30 minutes, the Tahs were kept to just a penalty goal in the next hour. Ultimately, the Waratahs couldn’t withstand the Brumbies' weight of possession (58% to 42%). But the Tahs should take confidence into this clash with the Rebels if they produce a similar first-half performance of last week. In terms of table position, they’re sitting 3rd with 1 win, 2 losses and 2 bonus points.
The Melbourne Rebels return from the bye and will be aiming for their first win of the season. Thus far, they’ve played in a close loss against the Brumbies and an interesting extra time draw with the Reds. So they currently sit 4th on the table with 2 points and 0 bonus points. The key here for the Rebels will be implementing a similar game plan that saw them beat the Tahs 24-10 in Super Rugby earlier this year.
In terms of head to head, the Waratahs have a clear advantage at 15-3 SU since 2011 so seeing them as a home underdog is a bit strange. However, as mentioned the Rebels did win the last meeting in February. So after both sides have been involved in a few close contests in Super Rugby AU, we do like the value for either team by under 7.5 points. This bet is 3-1 in the last 4 meetings.
Either Team by Under 7.5
$2.18
Western Force vs ACT Brumbies
(Sat, Jul 4 7:15pm)
It’s been a solid return to Super Rugby for the Western Force after two close losses thus far. In Round 2, they let a 14-7 halftime lead slip against the Waratahs in the 23-14 defeat. Then in Round 3, they battled hard against the Reds (now the top team in the league) and came away with another close 31-24 defeat. The tough part for the Force is they don’t have a true home ground since they’re playing in NSW. But they’ve covered the line in both games and we’re confident they can do it again.
The Brumbies stormed home against the Waratahs last week for a crucial victory in the 24-23 result. After falling behind 20-5, ACT controlled possession and basically wore down the Tahs. Issak Fines scored a try in the 77th minute and Bayley Kuenzle nailed the conversion to seal the victory with a few minutes remaining. But ultimately, the Brumbies will be looking for a more consistent performance against the Force.
So far, the Force have covered big underdog lines in their 2 games and we can’t back against them here. The Brumbies weren’t overly impressive last week and that should see another close contest against the Force on Saturday night.
