Newcastle Falcons vs Harlequins
19th September 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Quins -5 handicap
Bookmaker Ladbrokes
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021
The reigning Premiership champions Harlequins kick off their title defence on Sunday with an away fixture.
Quins, who stunned Exeter in last season’s final, open their account at Kingston Park against Newcastle.
After a bright start to last season, the Falcons had some struggles and will have a stern test on their hands in the new season kick-off.
Table of Contents
Newcastle Falcons Preview – Can Falcons stop Quins?
Newcastle finished third from bottom in last season’s Premiership, reality hitting after a decent start.
That was their first season back up in the top flight.
So it was a case of consolidating that status more than anything for Newcastle.
They closed out the campaign with a W9 L13 record (including match adjustments for cancelled fixtures).
Each of their last six Premiership fixtures have gone the way of the home side on the day.
That means that they are currently on a three-match winning streak at home in the league.
Newcastle Falcons are 17/10 underdogs in the match outright for Premiership rugby betting however* (odds recorded 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021).
This is a tough fixture to open with.
But the head to head does make for some interesting reading.
The Falcons have won all but one of their last six home fixtures against Quins.
Newcastle dug out a tense 25-22 win the last time that they hosted Harlequins, which was in February.
Even though they are on this three-match Premiership home winning streak, never before have they made it four consecutive wins.
Only bottom side Worcester scored fewer points in matches than Newcastle did in last season’s campaign.
So that’s one definite area where they will be seeking an improvement.
A Newcastle Falcons +4 handicap is at even money* (odds recorded 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021).
They will be doing very well to stay within that kind of range.
Harlequins Preview – Will reigning Champions open with a win?
Harlequins pulled off a shock Premiership title last season after finishing fourth at the end of the regular season.
But they stunned both Bristol Bears and then Exeter Chiefs in the playoffs, scoring heavily to take both matches.
During the regular season of the last campaign, Queens were the top-scoring team in the league.
They were the only team to get above 700 points in matches, even though they scored fewer tries across the course of the season than Exeter did.
Confidence should be high and Harlequins are 1/2 odds on favourites to win at Kingston Park* (odds recorded 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021).
In last season’s successful campaign, they won five of their 11 away matches.
It has been one loss for them in their last four league fixtures against Newcastle, which was earlier this year at Kingston Park.
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
Harlequins won their final three matches at the end of last season and scored more than 40 points in each of them.
Interestingly, while at times their defence wasn’t rock solid, no team conceded fewer points in the final 20 minutes of matches last season than Harlequins.
Quins scored more first-half tries than any other team. That paints a strong picture of coming out strong and closing out matches.
A Harlequins -5 handicap can be reached at 10/11 odds* (odds recorded 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021).
This will be a testing opener for the Londoners, who have only won once at Newcastle since 2013.
Newcastle Falcons vs Harlequins Betting Advice
The head to head support Newcastle Falcons making a decent fist of this, but this is not an easy game.
They will likely bring their pragmatic approach to the table against a Harlequins side who can be a little unpredictable but so very powerful in attack.
But the away win looks the way to go and the Quins -5 handicap at 10/11 is the rugby betting pick* (odds recorded 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021).
Key Facts – Newcastle Falcons vs Harlequins Betting Tip
- Newcastle Falcons have won their last three league home games
- Newcastle Falcons have won 5 of their last 6 at home against Quins
- Harlequins are the reigning Premiership champions
They will be eager to start their title defence in a reasonable fashion, even though their recent in the north isn’t great.
Quins carry a substantially bigger attacking threat than their hosts do, so that should help them across the line.
A Harlequins 1-10 winning margin pick at 23/10 looks a reasonable proposition* (odds recorded 05:49 GMT on September 17th, 2021).
The best betting odds for Newcastle Falcons vs Harlequins
Newcastle Falcons to win: 17/10 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Harlequins to win: 1/2 at Bet365
