London Irish vs Sale Sharks
26th September 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Sale -3 handicap
Bookmaker Betfair
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 18:53 GMT on September 23rd, 2021
This is likely going to be a tough home opener for London Irish who have lost their last three in a row there.
So even with home advantage in Brentford, the Exiles are likely going to be up against.
The visiting Sale picked up a victory last weekend to kick off the new season on a positive note. Can they add to that success?
Table of Contents
London Irish Preview – Can Exiles stop the rot?
Three home defeats in a row in Premiership rugby action in Brentford is where London Irish are at.
To start the new campaign, the Exiles went to Worcester last weekend.
Irish lost that one at Sixways 36-24 against the team who finished bottom of the Premiership pile last season.
The last time that London Irish won a home game was against Bath back in March.
In the Premiership Rugby betting odds, the home win is at a quote 13/10* (odds recorded 18:53 GMT on September 23rd, 2021).
It was back in the 2015/16 campaign that London Irish last lost their opening two games of a new campaign.
But they are likely going to be facing a big task to get a score on the weekend.
London Irish have lost their last eight games in a row against Sale Sharks in the Premiership.
But even with a defeat for the Exiles in mind, it may not be a heavy-hitting defeat that comes their way.
Eight of London Irish’s last nine home Premiership fixtures have been settled by a margin of a single digit.
A London Irish +4 handicap for rugby betting is at 10/11* (odds recorded 18:53 GMT on September 23rd, 2021).
One positive perhaps that they can take from last weekend’s defeat is that they did rally at the end.
The Exiles scored 14 points in the final 20 minutes of their match at Worcester.
Sale Sharks Preview – Sharks can claim the away win
Sale Sharks made it to the Premiership playoffs last season, but they fell at the first hurdle there.
They went down against Exeter in the big game at Sandy Park.
There was a tense victory for them last weekend as they opened the new season.
Sale Sharks edged Bath 20-19 in a thriller in Salford.
Stretching form back to last season, Sale have won nine of their last eleven Premiership matches.
The last time they won their first two games of a season was in the 2008/09 campaign.
Also, they have suffered back to back to away wins on paper.
But those were both against Exeter, including the play off semi-final, and this should be a considerably easier type of fixture.
In the match outright, Sale are 4/6 odds-on favourites* (odds recorded 18:53 GMT on September 23rd, 2021).
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If Sale Sharks win on the weekend, they will equal their record for most consecutive wins against a single team.
That stands at a 9-match winning streak record set against Leeds.
There has only been one previous visit to Brentford by Sale, which was last December.
They walked away with a 21-13 win.
Sale Sharks have scored at least 20 points in each of their last five league fixtures.
That’s probably consistent enough scoring to see them get across the line and record a victory on the weekend.
London Irish vs Sale Sharks Betting Advice
Sale looks the far more likely of the two, but we do think that a narrow handicap margin is worth in play.
It’s not worth looking beyond the Sale -3 handicap at 10/11 for rugby betting* (odds recorded 18:53 GMT on September 23rd, 2021).
The Sharks have that big head to head form going against the London Irish. But they only narrowly beat them last season.
Key Facts – London Irish vs Sale Sharks Betting Tip
- London Irish have lost their last eight Premiership games against Sale
- London Irish haven’t won a league game since March
- Sale Sharks have won 9 of their last 11 Premiership fixtures
It was a tight squeeze for the Sharks in Salford last weekend against Bath as well. So we think this is tight.
This can’t be a game the Exiles are looking forward to, not having lost their last eight against Sale.
But with narrow margins a feature of their home games last season, we are pushing towards the Sale 1-7 winning margin at 13/5* (odds recorded 18:53 GMT on September 23rd, 2021).
The best betting odds for London Irish vs Sale Sharks
London Irish to win: 13/10 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Sale Sharks to win: 4/6 at Bet365
