Gloucester vs Sharks Prediction: Sharks can sink teeth into Cherry & Whites for cup glory

The final of the Challenge Cup sees two out-of-form sides go head-to-head at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as two-time winners Gloucester take on the Sharks, who are hoping to lift the trophy for the first time.

The Cherry & Whites have had a dismal Premiership campaign, finishing second from bottom and ahead of only Newcastle Falcons, who they comfortably beat 54-14 last time out and who have failed to win a top-flight match all season.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have also endured a disappointing season in the United Rugby Championship, lying fourth bottom in the table and winning just four of their 17 league fixtures. Below you can find my Gloucester vs Sharks prediction as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

George Skivington has named four changes to his Gloucester side who cruised past Newcastle on the final day of the Premiership season, with two changes apiece in the forwards and backs.

Fraser Balmain and Arthur Clark come in at prop and lock respectively with Kirill Gotovtsev and Freddie Clarke making way - the former dropping to the bench.

There are two emotional returns at the back as Adam Hastings starts at fly-half for his final appearance for Gloucester in place of Charlie Atkinson, while Santi Carreras comes in at full back for the first time since recovering from an appendix operation in place of the benched Josh Hathaway.

Wholesale changes have been made to the Sharks side beaten 36-14 by Cardiff recently. An entirely new starting XV has been named, including a host of returning World Cup winners with South Africa.

The scrum sees powerhouses Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch start in the front three, while returning captain Eben Etzebeth and Gerbrandt Grobler take their places in the second row. James Venter, Vincent Tshituka and Phepsi Buthelezi make the remainder of the first eight.

In the backs, Grant Williams and Siya Masuku open the action at scrum-half and fly-half respectively, while Makazole Mapimpi, Francois Venter, Ethan Hooker, Werner Kok and Aphelele Fassi all return to the starting line-up on Friday night.

Gloucester vs Sharks Odds

Gloucester are the slight underdogs at 11/8 - or a 42.1% chance - going into the Challenge Cup final, whereas the Sharks are 8/13 to lift their first piece of silverware in the competition.

The tie is 20/1 while the Sharks are 5/6 shots with a 2.5-point handicap start.

Sharks to win by 1-12 points @ 19/10

Given the world-class quality of the players returning to the Sharks’ starting line-up, the South African side will be expected to confidently see off Gloucester in London and lift their first Challenge Cup trophy.

Gloucester have largely underwhelmed this season - and in recent weeks they have lost three of their last five matches. They have also been beaten 13 times in the Premiership, conceding 595 points in the process.

The Sharks have won six of their last nine in all competitions and five of those victories have been by a margin of 12 points or fewer. So even the Durban club are expected to win, they may struggle to pull clear of the Cherry & Whites.

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