Bath vs Exeter Chiefs
6th March 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Exeter -5 handicap
Bookmaker Betfair
Odds: 4/6 odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March
Bath maybe have turned the corner after a poor first half of the new Premiership season. After so many struggles they may be hitting their stride.
Bath will be looking for their fourth straight league success but this is a tough one at the Rec against Exeter on Saturday.
The reigning champions are visiting under a bit of pressure having fallen to back to back defeats.
Table of Contents
Bath Preview – Will Bath make it four in a row?
There is a big upturn in form from Bath in this season’s Premiership after making it three straight wins last weekend.
Bath scrapped out a 23-22 away at Northampton last weekend.
Each of their last three wins in this season’s league have been by a margin of five points or fewer.
So it’s not routine easy wins that have come their way and Bath are 11/5 underdogs at the Rec on Saturday for the visit of Exeter* (odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March).
The other two wins in this sequence have been against Sale Sharks and Gloucester.
This burst of form has moved Bath on to a W5 L6 record for the entire season, accounting for cancelled fixture adjustments.
From 10 fixtures that they have actually played, the West Country team have gone W4 L6.
At the Rec in this campaign, Bath have taken a poor W1 L3 record, the lone success in that sequence happening against the struggling Gloucester.
Only one of their four home games have seen a margin of more than 8 points at the final whistle.
This would be a big bonus of four points if Bath could stick the win on the board on Saturday against the reigning champions.
In their last five home games in the league against Exeter, bath are W2 L3.
The last time they hosted them, in October 2019, Bath earned a narrow 13-10 success.
But there have been clear struggles for Bath this season which is why they are running as underdogs.
A Bath +7 is a quote of even money in the handicap market for rugby betting* (odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March).
The biggest issues for Bath this season have been from a defensive perspective.
They have conceded at an average of just a tiny bit under 30 points per fixture.
They are nowhere near that kind of level in the attack, averaging around 20 points.
Even though they are on the up and have just gotten themselves out of a pretty big slump, this is no easy home fixture.
Exeter Chiefs Preview – Can Chiefs respond to setbacks?
There have been more surprised setbacks for the Exeter Chiefs recently.
For the second time this season, they have suffered back to back league defeats.
The first of those recent defeats was at home by a single point margin against Northampton and then last weekend out on the road at Sale Sharks.
In the match, tonight Exeter are the 2/5 odds-on favourites so they of course cannot be written off at all* (odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March).
But with four losses already on the board, this wasn’t the season that they would have expected to be having in their title defence.
It has been a W7 L4 record for Exeter this season, having not had any fixtures during the campaign cancelled.
There is still only one team who boast a better defensive record than they do (Newcastle). But their attacking prowess has dried up after a powerful start.
Away from home, this season Exeter have taken a W4 L2 record, the losses happening at Sale and Wasps.
Only one of their away victories been by a margin of greater than 6 points.
The Bath -7 handicap at 10/11 odds, therefore, looks to be a little bit shaky* (odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March).
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Exeter Chiefs are unstoppable when they are on their game but these have been some major setbacks they have suffered.
Earlier this season when they broke out of a two-match losing streak, they went on a great tear of form.
So they will be hoping to do that again.
Going back to the points output from Exeter Chiefs in matches this season, they are averaging 22 points per game.
That was expected to have been a little higher and it has been dropping across the course of the season.
Still, will they be able to muscle past Bath?
Bath vs Exeter Chiefs Betting Advice
Exeter pulled themselves out of a previous patch of back to back losses earlier this season.
We think that they do it again but we are a little unsure about the Exeter -7 handicap at 10/11* (odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March).
The way the season was going you would have expected the respective form of these two clubs to be reversed now.
Key Facts – Bath vs Exeter Chiefs Betting Tip
- Bath are on a three-match winning streak in the Premiership
- Bath beat Exeter in their last meeting at the Rec
- Exeter Chiefs have lost their last two league fixtures
It’s Bath with a bit of momentum thanks to have squeezed out three tight victories on their road to recovery.
But we can’t quite see them getting past Exeter on the weekend because their recent wins haven’t been convincing enough.
Instead, we are going to swing with the Exeter Chiefs 1-12 winning margin at 9/5* (odds taken 08:41 GMT Friday, 5th March).
The best betting odds for Bath vs Exeter Chiefs
Bath to win: 21/10 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Exeter Chiefs to win: 2/5 at Bet365
