Guinness Premiership Final
As the Football World Cup in South Africa fast approaches, rugby spread bettors have their last bit of major action to get their teeth into at Twickenham this weekend. Spread enthusiasts that bought either Saracens' or Leicester's play-off index will have been pleased to see their respective teams make it all the way to the final.
Buyers of Saracen's win index against Northampton Saints in the previous round will have been on the edge of their seats as they scraped through 21-19. Those looking to buy their win index on Saturday will know what they're up against when playing the eight-times champions, Leicester Tigers. Spread buyers should be aware that this is the sixth time on the bounce that the Tigers have appeared in the final.
Spread bettors buying Leicester at 20.5 pts (25pts for the winner, 10 pts for the runner-up) will know that the side are bidding to become double champions after their 10-9 triumph against London Irish last year. Those looking to take on the Tigers and buy Saracen's play-off index at 16 on the spreads will be delighted to hear that the Tiger's only defeat in their last seven matches came against Brendan Venter's team. That afternoon the Sarries came away from Welford Road with a 32-23 victory.
If Saracens can win Saturday's final, it will be their first trophy since winning the Tetley's Bitter Cup in 1997/98. One factor in the London club's favour is that Leicester have won just two of their last five final appearances. However, supporters of the Tigers on the spreads will be quick to point out they are the defending champions.
Leicester's spread buyers will have also taken plenty of encouragement from their head-to-head record against their opponents. The record currently stands at 49-10 from 63 matches in Leicester's favour, drawing four matches. In the Guinness Premiership the sides have met 26 times with Leicester winning 17 of them, compared to seven Saracens victories - there have been only two draws.
Sporting Index's total points market always sparks plenty of debate amongst the spread betting public and this year will certainly be no different. The average total score in finals since 2004 stands at 42.5 points, with a low of 16 in the 2004 final involving London Wasps and Bath. Buyers of the spread will be hoping for a repeat of the 2006 final where Sale Sharks ran out 45-20 point winners over Leicester.
The spread supremacy market makes for interesting reading when examining each side's scoring efforts in the regular season. Buyers of Leicester's supremacy will be interested to know that the side outscored the Saracens by a total of 61 points this campaign. From a defensive perspective, this season the Tigers conceded 325 points compared to the Saracen's 367. Punters that enjoy a spread bet on the total tries market will also be intrigued to see that Leicester outscored Saracens in that department 46 tries to 39. Supremacy spread bettors might also like to know that to date not one final has required extra-time to settle the result.
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