The Super Rugby season reaches its conclusion this weekend with the two best teams throughout the season to do battle for the premiership. We preview the Grand Final kicking off at midnight Saturday night and give our betting tips below.
Lions vs Crusaders (Sunday 12am AEST)
The Crusaders will be even more disappointed their undefeated streak came to an end in the final regular season game as they will have to travel to South Africa and earn the victory to claim the premiership. The side had won their opening 14 games of the season but fell to the Hurricanes in the last round, the side the Lions defeated last week to earn the right to host the grand final.
The Crusaders cruised to a comfortable 14-point win over the Crusaders last week. The side managed to score 27-points with just 36% of the possession. The side managed to force a lot of errors and turnovers and capitalise on their limited opportunities. The Crusaders have followed this gameplan to victory all season and they will be backing their defence to lead them to victory again.
Meanwhile the Lions pulled off a miracle last week. They were trailing 22-3 but managed to put together a clinic to run away with the contest and earn a 44-29 victory. It is credit to the side for not giving up and we believe they will have a lot of confidence heading into this one. The side had an easier season than the Crusaders, who were forced to play New Zealand opponents in their conference. Due to this, the Lions statistically have a better attack but whether they can crack the Crusaders’ defence is another story. This will be the first time these two sides have met this season and after the Lions lost the grand final last year, we believe they will be more prepared and come out on top.
TIP: Lions at the margin (1-12) – $3.30 at Sportsbet
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