Brumbies vs Western Force Prediction: Take Brumbies to cover

After an impressive win over Fijian Drua in Suva, the Brumbies are back in the home comforts of GIO Stadium as they prepare to host Western Force in Super Rugby Pacific on Saturday morning (08:35, Sky Sports Mix).

Tom McGarry provides his best bets in his Brumbies vs Western Force prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds...

Team News

James Slipper, Billy Pollard and Allan Alaalatoa start in the front row for the Brumbies, with locks Nick Frost and Tom Hooper in the engine room.

Rory Scott, Luke Reimer and Charlie Cale form the back-row, with Ryan Lonergan and Declan Meredith in the half-backs.

The centre pairing sees Ollie Sapsford and Len Ikitau combine, with Corey Toole, Andy Muirhead and Tom Wright in a strong back three.

As for the Force, Marley Pearce, Nic Dolly and Tom Robertson are in the front row, with Jeremy Williams and Darcy Swain in behind.

NicK Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano and Reed Prinsep are in the back-row, with the duo of Nic White and Ben Donaldson continuing in the half-backs.

Hamish Stewart and Sio Tomkinson are the centres, with a back three of Harry Potter, Dylan Pietsch and Mac Grealy.

Brumbies vs Western Force Odds

The Brumbies are the firm favourites at 2/13 to make it two wins from two at the start of the season with victory over the Force, who themselves are 5/1 to pull off a shock win in the Australian capital.

A draw is currently 28/1, while the Brumbies to win by a margin of between 21-25 points inclusive is available at 13/2.

Brumbies -17 handicap @ 21/20

With 16 wins in their last 17 Super Rugby Pacific meetings with the Force, the Brumbies have been the dominant team in this one-sided rivalry.

Winning all of their last 11 games at GIO Stadium against the Perth outfit, it’s hard to see anything other than a convincing home victory on Saturday.

Conceding 44 points against Moana Pasifika in round one, the Force managed to win by a single point but their defence will be a concern for head coach Tana Umaga.

The Brumbies scored 36 points on the road in Suva last week against Drua and they can fall on the right side of the -17 handicap in Canberra this weekend.

Billy Pollard anytime tryscorer @ 1/1

While the Brumbies have some pace outside, the battle will need to be won up front first and set pieces will be key here.

Hooker Billy Pollard went over for a try in the Brumbies opener against Drua and he’s good value to repeat that trick from close range on Saturday.

Find more Rugby Union Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights