Northampton v Bulls: Saints to march past Bulls at The Gardens
Northampton Saints will look to build on their impressive away win at Pau when they host the Pretoria Bulls in the European Rugby Champions Cup on Sunday (15:15, Premier Sports Rugby).
Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Northampton vs Pretoria Bulls prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the encounter at Franklin’s Gardens.
Northampton vs Bulls Betting Tips
- Northampton -19 handicap @ 20/21
*odds correct at time of publication
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Team News
Starting with the hosts, Saints go with Danilo Fischetti, Craig Wright and Trevor Davison in the front row, with Alex Coles and JJ Van Der Mescht in the second row.
Josh Kemeny, Tom Pearson and Henry Pollock complete the pack, while England duo Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith start in the half-backs.
Fraser Dingwall and Rory Hutchinson start in the centres, with George Hendy, Ollie Sleightholme and George Furbank in a dangerous back three.
The Bulls start with a front row of Alu Tshakweni, Akker van der Merwe and Mornay Smith, with Cobus Wiese and JF van Heerden in the second row.
Skipper Marcell Coetzee, Reinhardt Ludwig and Elrigh Louw form the back row, while Zak Burger and Kade Wolhuter start in the half-backs.
Harold Vorster and Stedman Gans are the centres, with Stravino Jacobs, Sergeal Petersen and Devon Williams in the back three for the Bulls.
Match Odds
Heavy favourites Northampton are 1/14 for the win, while the Bulls are 15/2 underdogs to head back to South Africa with the victory.
A draw in the East Midlands is currently 25/1, while the Bulls with a +7.5 half-time handicap are 11/10.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Northampton -19 handicap @ 20/21
Star players Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Marco van Staden, and David Kriel are all absent for the Bulls as coach Johan Ackermann shuffles his pack.
This should play right into the hands of Northampton, who have named an extremely strong side for this Champions Cup clash at Franklin's Gardens.
Having beaten Pau 35-27 across the Channel last weekend, Saints are looking to press home their early advantage in Group 4.
Mitchell and Smith are a Test level half-back pairing who were selected for last summer's British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
The pair will dictate how Northampton go about this game against a weakened Bulls side, who might well be keeping their powder dry in terms of selection for their home games back in Pretoria.
Spurred on by the passionate home crowd, Northampton can take the fight to the Bulls and win well on Sunday, covering the -19 handicap in the process.
Rugby Union betting tips from Betfred Insights.
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