Northampton vs Bristol
16th February 1500hrs
Rugby – England – Premiership
Pick Northampton -6 handicap
Bookmaker Betfair
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 21:11 GMT Wednesday 12th February
Northampton will be looking to stay strong on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Bristol Bears to Franklin’s Gardens. The Saints will go into the weekend starting in second place in the table, just the one point adrift of leaders Exeter. While the Saints are targeting top spot, Bristol are in a tight battle to try and secure a top-four finish.
Table of Contents
Can the SAints return to winning ways?
There was a big upset for the Northampton Saints in their last match in the Premiership. In round nine they suffered a loss at Franklin’s Gardens against the struggling London Irish. Not many punters will have seen that result coming at all.
That was the first time that they had lost on home soil in the Premiership since April last year. With leaders Exeter losing last time out as well, that a massive missed opportunity by the Saints.
So can they find their feet again? Northampton had been on a four-match winning streak in the league before that loss. The Saints are leading the head to head against Brazil 23-12.
Fourteen of those 23 wins that Northampton have taken over the Bears happened on home soil. Looking back to last season, the Saints slipped to a 24-26 in their home fixture against the Bears. The Saints won away that season against Bristol.
Looking at the stats from this season’s Premiership, Northampton Saints have scored seven tries more than what the Bears have come up with.
It has all added up to them having scored 36 points more than Bristol have done in this season’s Premiership. The Saints have a points difference of 48 heading back into action on the weekend, while the Bears are at -3.
Bears may struggle to hold out defensively
Bristol have conceded six tries more than Exeter have done this season. Taking on the top-scoring side in the division could spell a tough afternoon for the Bears. Bristol have a three-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
However, they had gone four games without a win in the top flight before overturning Gloucester in round nine. That was a home win that Bristol collected over the Cherry & Whites.
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Now, going back to last season’s corresponding fixture, the Bears collected a narrow 26-24 victory. That was in round sixteen. The last time that Bristol landed back to back wins against Northampton was in 2007. So that is a long bit of history for them to try and overcome.
Bristol have struggled out on the road in this season’s Premiership. They have collected just one away victory all season, which was surprisingly, out at current league leaders Exeter back in round 4. Five of their 12 wins over the Saints have happened away from home.
Northampton vs Bristol Betting Advice
The Bears are likely going to come up short in this fixture. They pulled off a shock at Franklin’s Gardens last season, but Northampton are a lot more consistent this term. The Saints too, will have been shaken up by their defeat against London Irish in their last home game.
Key Facts – Northampton vs Bristol Betting Tip
- Northampton are top-scorers in the Premiership currently
- Northampton lost their last home game against London Irish
- Bristol have won one away game all season
Bristol Bears may face a backlash from that. At the end of the day, you have Northampton who are the top points scorers in the division. They should ultimately have enough to pull themselves away to a comfortable victory in this match. Northampton should manage to cover a -6 handicap.
The best betting odds for Northampton vs Bristol
Northampton to win: 1/3 at Bet365
Draw: 22/1 at Bet365
Bristol: 12/5 at Bet365
