Northampton Saints vs Bristol Bears
21st March 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Bristol Bears -2 handicap
Bookmaker Coral
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March
Northampton Saints avoided falling to three straight league defeats and they rallied to scrap past Sale Sharks last weekend in an excellent result.
They have another tough one on their hands this weekend as well as the Saints play host to the league leaders Bristol Bears.
Bristol made it three league wins on the spin as they coasted past Wasps in the last round of action.
Table of Contents
Northampton Saints Preview – Can Saints upset the odds?
The Saints scrapped to pick up a good home win last weekend when they beat Sale Sharks by a three-point margin.
That on the back of two straight losses as well so it was a welcome result for them.
It is to their credit that they are a 6/5 quote for the home win in Premiership Rugby betting on this fixture* (odds recorded 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March).
Last weekend’s result moved Northampton on to a W7 L6 record for the season allowing for adjustments for cancelled fixtures.
In their ten fixtures that they have actually played, the Saints are W5 L5.
They are the lowest-scoring team in the Premiership outside of the bottom four.
It has been an average of 22 points per game for them in this campaign, but they are on only a -16 points difference.
From their home games at Franklin’s Gardens this season, the Saints are W2 L2.
The wins were against Sale and Worcester, the losses against Harlequins and Bath.
There’s no real trend in terms of margins as there has been a small and large margin win and loss in all of that.
A Northampton +2 handicap is running at a quote of Evens in Premiership rugby betting* (odds recorded 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March).
They have suffered only two defeats in their last seven rounds of Premiership Rugby.
It has only been one loss for them at home in the league since a loss back in round 5 against Sale.
But the head to head doesn’t make great reading for Northampton in this one as they have lost their last four in a row to the Bears.
The East Midlanders have lost their last two at Franklin’s Gardens against them as well.
Bristol Preview – Can the Bears keep up their momentum?
The Bears made it three league wins on the bounce last weekend as they posted a 37-20 home win over Wasps.
That moved them onto a five-match unbeaten streak of form in the top-flight (W4 D1) and comfortably left them top of the table.
Since the end of August last year, Bristol have suffered just three defeats on the road.
All of those were at the Ricoh Arena against Wasps strangely enough.
The win for Bath is at a quote of 4/6 in rugby betting for Sunday’s fixture* (odds recorded 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March).
Back in round 3 of this season’s campaign, Bristol produced a last-minute to score to beat the Saints at Ashton Gate.
The Bears are W10 D1 L2 now from their thirteen matches played in this season’s campaign.
They are averaging 33 points per league fixture which looks unplayable at the moment for anyone else.
On their league travels this season, the bears are W4 D1 L1, that loss, as mentioned happening against Wasps.
All of the away wins that Bath have taken this season have been by a margin of 13 points or fewer.
Three of those were by a margin of no more than eight points.
A Bristol -7 handicap is there as an option at 7/4* (odds recorded 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March)
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Bristol have taken seven try bonus points in this campaign as well.
Their most recent away form is very interesting actually because they have each been tight fixtures.
There was a draw at London Irish and their wins over Gloucester and Worcester in that sequence, the bottom two, were only by a one-point margin.
So that does just raise a question about what kind of margin of success that they could pick up.
Will it be a tight squeeze for them on their travels again?
Northampton Saints vs Bristol Betting Advice
The Saints were so close to taking the Bears down when they met for the first time this season.
Now with home advantage on the weekend, we do think that they get close to them again.
But by the same token we expect the Bears to prevail, so the Bears -2 handicap gets the nod at 10/11* * (odds recorded 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March).
Key Facts – Northampton Saints vs Bristol Betting Tip
- Northampton Saints have lost their last four fixtures against Bristol Bears
- Northampton Saints have only lost twice in the last seven round of league action
- Bristol have won their last three league fixtures
But because the Bears have had some tight squeaks on the road in their recent away efforts, we are going short on the winning margin.
A Bears 1-10 winning margin fits nicely at a quote of 23/10* * (odds recorded 06:22 GMT, Saturday, 20th March).
It should be a tight scrap at Franklin’s Gardens and a good rigorous test for both.
The best betting odds for Northampton Saints vs Bristol
Northampton Saints to win: 8/11 at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Bristol to win: 6/5 at Bet365
