London Irish vs Bristol Bears
30th October 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Home Win
Bookmaker Betfair
Odds: 21/20 odds taken 20:01 GMT on October 28th, 2021
It has been a poor return by Bristol Bears this season in the Premiership after topping the table last season.
It’s been four losses in their five matches and after a break last weekend because of a bye, it’s going to be interesting to see if they can get back on track.
That may not be easy as London Irish will have some wind in their sails after pulling off a shock win last weekend at Sandy Park against Exeter.
Table of Contents
London Irish Preview – Can Irish build on big success?
There was a tremendous victory for London Irish last weekend in Premiership Rugby action.
They went to Sandy Park and defied the odds to overturn the Exeter Chiefs there.
London Irish are back in a position as underdogs as they return home this week.
The Exiles are a quote of 21/20 to come up with the victory* (odds recorded 20:01 GMT on October 28th, 2021).
Last weekend’s success was an even bigger surprise as it was the first of the campaign for London Irish (D2 L3).
They were competitive in fixtures but just couldn’t find a winning touch up until that point.
Four of their last five Premiership matches have been settled by a margin of five points or fewer.
Given that Bristol Bears are not in any kind of form this will probably be settled by a tight margin too.
After winning seven of nine home games against Bristol in the Premiership, London Irish are D1 L1 in their last two such fixtures.
But if you look at the overall bigger picture of that form, it has been positive for London Irish.
The London Irish +1 handicap is at 10/11 odds for Premiership Rugby betting* (odds recorded 20:01 GMT on October 28th, 2021).
That’s another indicator of how tight this is expected to be.
One thing working against the London Irish is their home form. They are winless in six on home turf in the competition (D2 L4).
They have never had a longer winless stretch of home from than that in the competition.
Can they snap out of it and take advantage of the Bears’ indifferent form on Saturday?
Bristol Bears Preview – Struggling Bears under pressure
Another strong campaign was expected to come from Bristol Bears after finishing top of the table the previous season.
But it hasn’t happened for them.
The Bears are W1 L4 for this campaign, their lone success coming in a home derby match against West Country rivals Bath.
Including form from the end of last season, that’s one victory for Bristol Bears in their last seven Premiership matches.
It is also a three-match losing streak on the road that they are on.
Their defeats this season on the road have been at Wasps, Harlequins and then Newcastle Falcons.
Bristol Bears had a bye in last weekend’s round of action, so have had a chance to regroup a bit.
In Premiership rugby betting there is a quote of 5/6 on the Bears* (odds recorded 20:01 GMT on October 28th, 2021).
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Bristol Bears are unbeaten in their last three matches against London Irish, but two of those were drawn matches.
There was a 34-34 draw between them in last season’s corresponding fixture in Brentford.
Going back to their away form, this has been a big collapse by Bristol.
They had lost just one of their previous 10 on the road before this three-match lost streak.
Most troubling of all for them is their lack of scoring threat.
In three of their five Premiership matches, this season Bristol have only scored 9 points or fewer.
London Irish vs Bristol Bears Betting Advice
London Irish have to be worth a look in Premiership Rugby betting in this as confidence is going to be high after last weekend’s success.
The London Irish match outright selection is at 21/20 as our main rugby betting pick* (odds recorded 20:01 GMT on October 28th, 2021).
They have played well this season, even when not winning matches and they do pose more of a scoring threat than the Bears.
So this should be a good opportunity to get behind the underdogs in Brentford.
Key Facts – London Irish vs Bristol Bears Betting Tip
- London Irish are W7 D1 L4 in their last 12 home games against Bristol
- London Irish have not won any of their last six Premiership home fixtures
- Bristol Bears have lost four of five fixtures this season
Bath’s stats are not adding up to enough. They have failed to post double figures on the scoreboard in three of five matches.
They’ve lost all three away games and look vulnerable as they return from a short break.
The London Irish 1-10 Winning Margin is at 23/10 to consider as a reasonable proposition* (odds recorded 20:01 GMT on October 28th, 2021).
The best betting odds for London Irish vs Bristol Bears
London Irish to win: 21/20 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Bristol Bears to win: 5/6 at Bet365
