New Zealand v Samoa
The Kiwis surprised everyone last week with an upset win over the Kangaroos in Brisbane. It wasn’t the desired result for the host, but full credit must go to the way the New Zealanders executed their gameplan. They dominated the Aussies through the middle of the field and allowed their bigger men to work the hardest in the middle part of the field. While it was a different story for Samoa, they will be pleased with how their match ended up. They went down by 32-26 in the end, making the English lift to another level to grab a victory. This week, the Kiwis are boosted by the return of hooker Issac Luke from suspension, a move that will only increase the potency of their big forwards. Otherwise, it is an unchanged lineup. They will relish the chance to play in front of their home fans, increasing the difficultly of winning this match for the visitors. It is set to be a fiery encounter throughout, ensuring that the score will remain close, but ultimately, the Kiwis will be too strong for their opponents and win comfortably.
Suggested Bet
Kiwis -20.5 @ $2
Lock it in = Jason Taumololo FTS and/or LTS @ $17 – Taumololo is relishing his opportunity at representative football and last week was threatening when close to the line. Expect for the halves to look to give him the ball in an attacking position, where his power and size should carrying him over the line. Great odds on offer for this option!
Australia v New Zealand
The Kangaroos were given a reality check with their loss to the Kiwis, perhaps something that was needed at this stage of the competition rather than the end. Now, the pressure is on as they on the brink of missing the Final with a loss. England will take confidence from their match against Samoa, albeit only a little as they were expected to win by more. Credit has to go to their opponents, but Steve McClaren’s team will be frustrated with certain parts of that match, mainly revolving around execution. Here, they have a unique opportunity to dent their rival’s title aspirations and will need to capitalise on the fact that the Kangaroos are again fielding a very inexperienced line up. That being said, they still have class on the field that they will need to lead the younger players around. On top of that, DCE is expected to play and Greg Inglis is hoping to be free of the illness that restricted him from taking part in the second half last week. If England are to win, they need to mimic what the Kiwis did last week and take the match to the Australians in the middle part of the field through their big players like the Burgess brothers and James Graham. The odds being offered are unfair of the visiting team and this match is going to be a lot closer than most people are suggesting. Still, the Kangaroos should win, setting up a must-win match for the Poms next week against the Kiwis.
Suggested Bet
England +9.5 @ $1.90
Be specific = Australia 7-12 @ $5.50 – More value is on offer for this match. Bookies are generally right on the money with their calls and setting the line at 9.5 suggests that they believe the Aussies will win by a similar margin.
Good luck!
Scooby
Please Note:
All of the above are the opinions of the author and are not recommendations or advice. The author may not be taking every bet listed above. Bet at your own risk.
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