Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks
19th June 1630hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Sale Sharks -7 handicap
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021
This is the mouth-watering heavyweight Premiership rugby semi-final clash between Exeter and Sale.
The two met last weekend in the final round of the regular season and that produced a nail-biting win for the Chiefs.
Will they get the better of the Sharks again this weekend, or can the Sharks come up with an extra effort to topple the favourites?
Table of Contents
Exeter Chiefs Preview – Can reigning champions make it back to the final?
Reigning Premiership champions Exeter Chiefs have a return to the final within their sights.
It was a second-place finish that they earned in the Premiership regular season, bested only by Bristol Bears.
This is the sixth straight Premiership semi-final for the Chiefs, so they know what this is all about.
All five of those previous semi-final matches were on home turf. Exeter won all of them.
So they are defending an unbeaten record here and they are 1/2 odds-on favourites in the match outright for Premiership rugby betting* (odds recorded 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021).
The Chiefs powered their way to the end of the regular season.
It’s a seven-match winning streak that Exeter have put together since losing to Gloucester at the end of March.
Their undefeated form at Sandy Park goes back to February 20th when Northampton Saints sprung a surprise there.
Last weekend they gained perhaps a massive mental boost as well as they toppled the Sale Sharks in a thriller.
Exeter had been trailing 14-3 at the halftime break at Sandy Park. Shortly after going down to 14 men, they launched their fightback.
Exeter tallied 604 points this season, a tally only bettered by Harlequins. So that was an average of 27 points per game.
Seven of the nine home wins at Sandy Park that Exeter recorded during the regular were by a margin of double figures.
Given what went down last weekend, that may not be the way to go.
A narrow Exeter Chiefs -7 handicap is at 10/11 in Premiership Rugby betting* (odds recorded 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021)
The reigning champions were badly rattled by Sale Sharks last weekend. They will know what they are up against.
Sale Sharks Preview – Can Sharks raid Sandy Park?
If Sale could have held out for a victory at Sandy Park last weekend, that would have given them a great lift ahead of this.
Going into the fixture Sale had to score four tries and not allow Exeter a losing bonus point.
That would have seen Sale take second place in the regular-season standings.
They came out and fully deserved their first-half lead. Early in the second half Sale extended their lead to 19-3.
But then Exeter were reduced to 14 men and that somewhere galvanized the Chiefs. Even with a man advantage, Sale couldn’t stop that fight back.
This is the third Premiership semi-final for Sale, taking a W1 L1 record from those previous two. They were both against Wasps incidentally.
It will be the first time since 2006 that the Sale Sharks have played in the semi-finals of the competition.
Before that loss at Sandy Park last weekend, Sale had set a Premiership club record by winning eight straight games.
They are not going to be a pushover and a look at the recent head to head confirms that.
Sale have split their last four fixtures against Exeter with two wins each.
In the match outright for Premiership rugby, the win for Sale Sharks is at 12/5* (odds recorded 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021).
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Where it falls down a little bit for Sale is their form at Sandy Park.
They have claimed just two wins at the venue in twelve previous visits in all competitions.
There is a 10/11 quote on a Sale +7 handicap as a rugby betting option* (odds recorded 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021).
Sale posted a W7 L4 road record in the Premiership this season.
Only one of their victories were settled by a margin of double figures and only one of their defeats were as well.
Two of those four losses were against two of the other top-four finishers (Harlequins and Exeter).
Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks Betting Advice
We think that Sale put up another battling performance. There were a lot of positives that they can take from last weekend’s loss.
But we think they come up short again, but not by a big margin.
Just two of Sale’s road games this season have been settled either way by a margin of double figures.
So a Sale -7 handicap is interesting at 10/11 for rugby betting* (odds recorded 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021).
Key Facts – Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks Betting Tip
- Exeter Chiefs beat Sale last weekend by one point
- Exeter Chiefs have lost 2 of 12 at Sandy Park against Sale
- Sale Sharks have won 8 of their last 9 Premiership fixtures
Exeter showed tremendous mentality last weekend to fight back and win. Strangely it took a red card against them to get going.
That’s back to back weeks that they have been trailing badly at the halftime break in a Premiership fixture.
Slow starts have been a feature of their season. But they keep finding ways to win.
Exeter 1-10 winning margin at 2/1* (odds recorded 21:09 GMT on June 17th, 2021)
The best betting odds for Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks
Exeter Chiefs to win: 1/2 at Bet365
Draw: 22/1 at Bet365
Sale Sharks to win: 12/5 at Bet365
