Premiership Rugby Preview – 3.00 pm kick off
Sunday’s Premiership action is from the Ricoh Arena as Wasps play host to Northampton in a local derby. Wasps are in need of turn of fortunes as they have been badly out of form this season. Northampton have started to put a strong bit of form together with three wins on the bounce in all competitions now.
Wasps v Northampton odds*
Wasps 4/9
Northampton 15/8
Draw 20/1
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on January 4th, 2019 at 6:21 pm)
Wasps v Northampton Preview
Wasps are sat down in eight place as they head into the weekend. As they are playing on Sunday then that position could be as low as tenth by the time they kick off. Wasps have collected just the one victory in their last thirteen games (all competitions) and that was back in Round 8 of the Premiership when they hosted Bristol. That actually is one of only two wins that they have taken this season at home.
Their other one was on home soil back on round three when they toppled Leicester. They are currently on a three-match losing streak then in the Premiership and there has been a lack of scoring from them. In just two of their last five league games have they managed to get to twenty points in a fixture.
They have alternated between a loss and a win in their last five home games in the top flight, their last ended in a 14-24 reverse there against Bath. So if that sequence follows they would be due the win. Wasps went to Northampton back in mid-November and they suffered 17-36 reverse in the fixture. Wasps go into the fixture trailing the Saints in the table by the one point.
Northampton are looking for their first double over Wasps since the 2013/14 season. They don’t exactly have a great track record at the Ricoh though as they have only won one game there before. That was back in the Premiership Rugby Cup last November though, so it was a recent one. Back in round seven, when Northampton got the better of their local rivals that snapped a six-match winless streak of form that they were on against Wasps.
Wasps v Northampton Prediction
There may not be too much to split these two at the end of the day. Looking back at the recent head to head between these two, it is Wasps who have generally come out on top. At the Ricoh arena in this derby match up, backing Wasps to overcome a -5 handicap at 5/6 odds looks about right* (betting odds taken from bet365 on January 4th, 2019 at 6:21 pm).
