URC fans are starting to prepare for the return of the Six Nations next week, which will bring a hiatus to the competition until the end of February, and they will be desperate for their clubs to go into this international break.
URC fans are starting to prepare for the return of the Six Nations next week, which will bring a hiatus to the competition until the end of February, and they will be desperate for their clubs to go into this international break.
This preparation for international action has seen several clubs hamstrung when it comes to selecting their best sides for this weekend; however, it promises to be a fantastic weekend of rugby as those young and second-string players aim to impress in the absence of the stars.
As teams are forced to make significant changes to their squads this week, it makes the task that bit harder for punters when it comes to deciding who is the favourite and the underdog in the fixtures this weekend; however, ATR is here to help you with this.
Zebre Parma and Connacht both come into this fixture desperate to find form, with neither side having a particularly enjoyable campaign in the URC, as the Italians are rock bottom of the division while the Irish province are only four points above them.
Neither side have found wins easy to come by, as each side have only enjoyed a victory on two occasions this season in the league. Stuart Lancaster’s side appear to have a mentality issue that they are struggling with, as they have lost several matches from winning positions. He has made five changes to the team that battled right to the end last weekend against Leinster as he looks to keep the team as similar to that side as possible to help end their terrible form on the road, as their last away victory in the URC was last season in Parma.
The Italians made a fantastic start to the campaign as they began with two victories in the URC; however, they have not won in their last eight. Zebre always make it difficult and a contest at home, with this fixture being no different. While they are underdogs, they know that they can get at Connacht. The Irish side will know that they have the second-best conversion rate from a 10-metre set piece to try from all the clubs competing in the top three leagues across Europe. They convert 55.6% of their set pieces from within 10 m to a try, and this will be key for them to secure a victory against the Italians. While Lancaster’s side have won 94.7% of their own scrums, demonstrating how important set pieces are to this team.
Zebre will be aware of this danger the Irish side has from set pieces, and so they will need to ensure that they are disciplined. Now the Italian side has the worst disciplinary record in the URC, as they have collected 12 yellow and two red cards this season, as they have conceded 121 penalties with 27 scrum offences.
Zebre enter this game as underdogs with the ability to cause a shock in this game against Connacht, as while the Irish side are favourites, they have struggled away from home this season.
The Italian side have been given odds of +180 to be winners of this game by FanDuel from Odds Checker. This means that if you put down £10, you will receive £28 in return. While the best offer for Connacht to be winners is also from FanDuel, as they have given them odds of -190, which means if they put down £10, you will receive £15.26 in return.
Punters may be interested to see the handicap on offer for this fixture, with the best offer for Zebre coming from Bet365, according to Odds Checker, which is offering the Italian side at a +5 points handicap for +100. This means that if you bet £10, you will win £10, giving you a return of £20. This means that the Italian side will be given a +5-point advantage before kick-off.
Meanwhile, the best handicap for Connacht would be the offer from BetRivers. On a handicap of -6, they are offering odds of -107 for them to make up the difference and win. This means that if you put a £10 bet on, you would win £9.40, giving you a total return of £19.40.
The Irish province welcome Cardiff to Belfast this weekend as both aim to carry on their fine starts to the campaign. The visitors currently sit fourth in the division, three points above the hosts, who currently occupy sixth. Ulster and the Welsh side have also been hampered by the upcoming international break with several of their key players set to represent Ireland and Wales. However, the Irish province has a significantly stronger team on paper and should manage to secure the win this weekend.
According to the URC website, Ulster have the fourth-best attack, as they have scored 39 tries, beaten 218 defenders, made 102 offloads and 89 clean breaks. This is significantly more impactful than the Cardiff attack, which is ranked sixth best in the division. They have scored 32 tries, made 62 offloads, beaten 173 defenders and made 65 clean breaks.
Now Cardiff will take confidence from the fact they have the fourth-best defence in the URC, as they have made 1544 tackles, with a success rate of 84%. This defence will need to be at its best to stop the Ulster attack, which attempts to move the ball wide quickly as seen by the fact they are ranked third for clubs across Europe that aim to move the ball past the first receiver, with this being the case 31.3% of the time. This has seemingly had a positive impact, as with 12.1% of their attacks this season, they have managed to move the ball 20+ metres, the fourth best in Europe.
Ulster have been made favourites for this match, and they have been given odds of -600 to be winners by FanDuel, according to Odds Checker. This means that if you put down £10, you will receive £11.87 in return. While the best offer for Cardiff to be winners is also from DraftKings as they have given them odds of +550, which means if they put down £10 you will receive £65 in return.
Punters may be interested to see the handicap on offer for this fixture, with the best offer for Ulster coming from FanDuel, according to Odds Checker, which is offering the Irish side at a -11 points handicap for -110. That means that if you bet £10, you will win £9.09, giving you a return of £19.09. This means that Ulster will be given an 11-point deficit to make up from kick-off.
Meanwhile, the best handicap for Cardiff would be the offer from Bet365. On a handicap of +13, they are offering odds of +100. This means that if you put a £10 bet on, you would win £10, giving you a total return of £20, if Ulster cannot make up this 13-point advantage in this fixture.
