Heineken Cup Rugby Preview – 1.00 pm kick off
Exeter will be sitting very pretty in their Heineken Cup pool if they can produce a repeat success over Sale this weekend. Given that they have home advantage at Sandy Park, then they may well be able to take that huge step towards the quarterfinals of the competition. Read our Exeter vs Sale preview for more.
Exeter vs Sale odds*
Exeter 1/25
Draw 50/1
Sale Sharks 9/1
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on 13th December 2019 at 7:15 pm)
Heineken Cup Rugby betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Exeter News & Form
Exeter are well on course for the top spot in Pool 2 of the Heineken Cup. They took a dramatic 22-20 success out at the AJ Bell Stadium last weekend against Sale. The Chiefs had to hang on in the fixture, but just about got over the line after having scored all their points in the first half of the match. That leaves them with a six-point advantage over Glasgow at the top of the Pool heading into this weekend’s action.
Things haven’t gone fluently for Exeter in terms of pay. They had the worst tackle success rate after three rounds of action in this season’s competition. They had missed more tackles than anyone else as well at that stage. The Chiefs also have the lowest scrum success rate. But then again at Sandy Park, they are seldom toppled.
Sale News & Form
There is an uphill battle ahead for Sale now. It’s been around 10 years since they last beat a fellow Premiership side in the Heineken Cup. Their defeat at home against Saracens a week ago was their fifth straight defeat in such fixtures. Sale opened their campaign away from home with a visit to Glasgow. They lost 13-7 there.
All three of their matches in the Pool have been settled by a margin of no more than 10 points. That’s important because they have collected a couple of bonus losing points which has kept them in the qualification picture. They really need to deliver a redeeming win in this one, however. Sale finished the third round of action with the lowest goal kicking success rate.
Exeter vs Sale Betting Tip
Sale +10 Handicap at 3/1
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on 13th December 2019 at 7:15 pm)
Exeter vs Sale Prediction
The form books would have to point towards the home win for Exeter in this one. They aren’t likely to let that big advantage they took last weekend slip. But given the narrow misses for Sale, it’s worth having a look at the visitors keeping things tight enough to grab a bonus point.
