Bristol vs Northampton Saints
4th December 1945/strong>hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Bristol -5 handicap
Bookmaker Coral
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 22:53 GMT, THursday, 3rd December
The Bears collected their first win of the new campaign last weekend as they crushed Worcester at Ashton Gate.
So they are now up and running and with home advantage again this weekend, they will be expected to gain another victory.
They will be facing the Northampton Saints who failed once again at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend when they hosted Harlequins.
Table of Contents
Bristol Preview – Bears can cash in at Ashton Gate
The Bears opened the new season with a shock loss against the newly promoted Newcastle Falcons.
But they comfortably made amends last weekend when they recorded a 30-13 victory over Worcester Warriors at Ashton Gate.
Bristol are the outright favourite for the match win on Friday night at 1/2* (odds taken 22:53 GMT, Thursday, 3rd December).
In last season’s Premiership, Bristol claimed a W8 D1 L2 record on home turf, which was an excellent return.
They have won their last five games in all competitions on home turf as well.
It has been only one defeat at Ashton Gate that Bristol have suffered this calendar year and that was against Exeter.
Last season Bristol claimed a big 47-10 victory over Northampton.
For rugby betting in this game at Bristol -5 handicap is running at 10/11 odds * (odds taken 22:53 GMT, Thursday, 3rd December).
So the bookmakers are expecting this to be a somewhat tighter fixture than what played out last season in the corresponding game.
It is a three-match winning streak that Bristol are on against Northampton in league action.
Bristol will have England’s Dave Attwood back from injury to line up in the second row on Friday.
Northampton Saints Preview – Can the Saints take the win?
Northampton have won two of their three previous visits to Ashton Gate in the Premiership.
So they do have that positive going for them.
On the opening weekend of the new season, Northampton suffered an away defeat at Sale by a margin of 9 points.
They were beaten again, this time by a 20-point margin on home soil at Franklin’s Gardens against Harlequins.
That loss extended their losing streak to nine in all competitions now. So it’s a rough run that they are on.
The last time that they won was a 27-3 success over London Irish back on August 22nd.
Northampton head into action on Friday night as the 15/8 underdogs to pick up the match win* (odds taken 22:53 GMT, Thursday, 3rd December).
In last season’s Premiership, the Saints did have their struggles out on the road.
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Northampton Saints earned a W4 L7 record on their top-flight travels in the last campaign.
Only in one of those defeats did Northampton manage to get to at least 20 points in a fixture.
They are already shipping a fair few points for this campaign, so for rugby betting, we think the Bristol Bears could be somewhat comfortable in this one.
A Bristol 1-12 winning margin therefore at 2/1 for rugby betting brings something to the table* (odds taken 22:53 GMT, Thursday, 3rd December).
The Saints may be up against it again, despite some positive form at Ashton Gate.
Bristol vs Northampton Saints Betting Advice
We think that the Bristol Bears deliver on their favouritism in this game. Even in their loss against Newcastle, they looked fine.
They kicked it on a bit last weekend with a comfortable victory over Worcester by sixteen points. We think that they will do enough in the second period to be comfortable in this one.
The Bristol 1-12 winning margin option at 2/1 is going to be our main pick* (odds taken 22:53 GMT, Thursday, 3rd December).
Key Facts – Bristol vs Northampton Saints Betting Tip
- Bristol have won the last 5 against Norhtampton
- Bristol beat the sAints 47-10 at Ashton Gate last season
- Northampton Saints have lost their last 9 games in all competitions
We would also lean towards the handicap margin line of a Bristol -5 at 10/11* (odds taken 22:53 GMT, Thursday, 3rd December).
The Bears should be easily covering that kind of gap against a Northampton side who has been leaky in defence already.
Backing everything up is the lack of form that the Saints have in general, having lost their last nine.
The best betting odds for Bristol vs Northampton Saints
Bristol to win: 1/2 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Northampton Saints to win: 15/8 at Bet365
