Bath vs London Irish
15th August 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick London Irish +9 Handicap
Bookmaker 10bet
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 19:15 GMT, Wednesday 12th August
Bath have top-four ambitions this season and they will return to action just five points from that target.
So they have plenty to play for in this one, which is expected to be a bit of a tight fixture against London Irish.
London Irish are only two points back of Bath in the standings and they have posted the exact same record as Bath have done over the last five rounds.
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Bath Preview – Bath look for a winning restart
Home advantage should help Bath make a positive return to action in the Premiership season on Saturday.
They lost their last two games before the suspension, going down against rivals Bristol and then league leaders Exeter.
It is a W3 L2 record that they have been left on in their last five rounds of league action.
They are the 1/4 odds-on favourites to win this game in the match outright* (odds taken 19:15 GMT, Wednesday 12th August).
Bath have already collected a win over the Irish this season, posting a 38-10 away win in late December.
It’s part of a five-match winning streak in the top flight that Bath have going over the Irish.
The last two wins that Bath have taken over London Irish have been convincing ones as well.
They were both by a margin of at least 28 points which looks a little too wide of a line to support here.
A more conservative Bath -9 handicap for the fixture is at 10/11* (odds taken 19:15 GMT, Wednesday 12th August).
Bath have been far better than the Irish in defence this season and may need that to be on point at the Rec, as their opponents have amassed a better try-scoring record this season.
London Irish Preview – Irish with some claims at the Rec
Although they are trailing badly from the recent head to head efforts with Bath, London Irish have some merits.
They are only two points back of Bath in the standings and have posted a W3 L2 record as well in their last five league fixtures.
Their defeats were against Wasps and then a forgivable one against the in-form Sale away from home.
One interesting statistic to note going into this one is that London Irish have scored 33 tries this season, compared to only 24 by Bath.
So there could be a way into this game for them if they get their attacking juices flowing at the Rec.
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London Irish have won two of their last three away games in the Premiership, collecting victories at Harlequins and Northampton in that sequence.
The big question is whether or not they can solve their attacking woes against Bath in particular.
The Irish have not scored more than 19 points in any of their last five fixtures against them.
In the overall head to head London Irish are W9 D3 L25 and four of their five wins over Bath were away from home.
Bath vs London Irish Betting Advice
We do think that London Irish can be competitive in this match as they do perhaps have more about them as an attacking unit on the day.
But can we see The Exiles leaving the Rec with a win under their belt?
No.
The defensive prowess of Bath on home turf has to be supported for this fixture.
Key Facts – Bath vs London Irish Betting Tip
- Bath have won the last five meetings
- Bath and London Irish both have W3 L2 record in their last five league games
- London Irish have won 2 of their last 3 away games
The recent head to head speaks for itself as it has been Bath all of the way.
There is no huge margin of victory expected by bath so a reasonable 1-7 winning margin for them at 11/4 odds fit nicely for us* (odds taken 19:15 GMT, Wednesday 12th August).
The best betting odds for Bath vs London Irish
Bath to win: 1/4 at Bet365
Draw: 25/1 at Bet365
London Irish to win: 3/1 at Bet365