2021 Premiership Rugby – Chiefs and Bears could meet in final
The bookies continue to price up the 2020-21 Premiership Rugby season and we’re starting to get a strong idea of the four teams who are going to be lining up in the play-offs come the end of the normal season.
There have been eighteen matches played by each Premiership club thus far and there are a leading quartet of sides who have pushed clear and will now have their sights set on landing the title after competing in the play-offs.
Can Exeter Chiefs Retain Premiership Title?
The Exeter Chiefs were victorious last season when beating Wasps 19-13 in the final following a comprehensive thrashing of Bath in the semi-finals and the rugby union bookies want to stay on the right side of the Devon outfit despite the fact that they haven’t had things their own way during the 2020-21 season.
The Chiefs only sit second in the regular standings, with the team winning thirteen matches and losing five times, with the champions recently enjoying a 20-12 victory away to Bristol Bears who look as though they could be their fiercest competitor.
Can Bristol Bears Claim First Premiership Rugby Title?
Bristol Bears have looked the part for the majority of the regular season and Pat Lam’s side certainly have a chance of winning their first Premiership Rugby crown considering that they have won fourteen of their eighteen games played this season.
Amassing 71 points from eighteen games means that the Bears have already qualified for the final four and the play-offs, although the bookies are prepared to offer nearly 2/1 and one feels as though the Chiefs might prove too strong at some point.
Who Are the Other Premiership Rugby Contenders?
Sale Sharks can’t be easily ruled out at this stage in proceedings, with the north-west side having enjoyed plenty of success in recent years and they have matched the Exeter Chiefs in terms of racking up thirteen wins from eighteen games played.
Harlequins look set to capture the fourth spot which would see them potentially clash with Bristol Bears according to the current standings, with the Quins recently enjoying a captivating 48-46 win over Wasps and they deserve to take their place in the play-offs.
2020 Gallagher Premiership Betting
The Gallagher Premiership 2019-20 rugby union season began on 18 October 2019 and we were pretty deep into the campaign when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the game into lockdown like many other sports across the United Kingdom and across the world.
The Premiership season restarted on 14 August 2020 and all rugby union matches will be played behind closed doors, although there is still the opportunity to bet on every match that takes place throughout the season.
Who are the Leading Teams in the 2019-20 Gallagher Premiership?
You can bet on the Gallagher Premiership outright betting market and Exeter Chiefs look like the team to beat at the time of writing. They are trading at odds-on to be crowned champions by landing the spoils in the Grand Final, with Sale Sharks, Bristol and Northampton the teams who could potentially have a say in the final reckoning.
There is a Premiership Rugby Betting Coupon regularly available and that means being able to go through the list of matches and decide which teams you want to back along the way. Many betting customers enjoy placing bets on the handicap betting market, especially if one team is perceived to be stronger than another as it levels the playing field and makes things more competitive from a betting point-of-view.
Bet In-Play on the Gallagher Premiership Matches
Naturally, the leading bookmakers will offer a competitive In-Play betting service when it comes to this rugby union competition and that means being able to bet on live odds when the match has kicked off.
Many punters like to bet on the winner of Premiership matches, although there’s the alternative of punting on the handicap. You might typically expect a 2-way or 3-way betting market for each of the games, with customers also able to choose from rugby betting markets such as Winning Margin, To Win Both Halves and Highest Scoring Half.
Place a Premiership Rugby Accumulator Bet
There are always rugby union accumulator betting opportunities with leading bookmakers and we recommend that you compare the biggest odds at Odds1x2.com and then visit the bookie with the biggest prices before going ahead and putting together an acca on the outcome of each game.
You simply click on the selections that you want to back at the respective odds and then look at the multiple bet options that exist with that bookie. It might be that you want to select a team to win each of the games or alternatively you can choose a handicap bet or even Over/Under a certain number of points.
Some bookmakers have rugby union betting promotions such as bet365’s Extra Time Extra Chance and that means that any bets that aren’t settled in normal time go on to extra-time to give you an increased chance of winning.
The Exeter Chiefs currently sit top of the Gallagher Premiership after nine games played, winning six of their matches and the bookies think they are now the team to beat in England this season.
Rob Baxter’s team were runners-up last year although they are currently top of the regular standings and looking like the club to beat, with every bookmaker going odds-on about Exeter across the board.
Paddy Power are among the bravest with their 5/6 quote, although some punters will be wary of betting the Chiefs at that price considering that the top four teams go into the play-offs where anything can happen.
It’s still early days as far as the season is concerned and Northampton are narrowly behind Exeter after a highly encouraging start. The Saints have also won six of their nine games and they also made the play-offs last season.
Indeed, they were beaten by the Chiefs at the semi-final stage and will now look to gain revenge on their rivals this time around. Chris Boyd will be really encouraged by how well his team are playing and perhaps they are the each-way value at 9/2 with Ladbrokes.
It’s already starting to look as though Exeter and Northampton are going to secure two of the play-off berths, although the other positions could be up for grabs and Sale Sharks are currently the third-best team in the Premiership.
Sale were only able to land seventh last season although Jon Dorsett’s side have improved a good deal this time around and the Sharks are 6/1 with Paddy Power to claim a second Premiership title after winning in 2006.
Even at this early point in the season, the bookies reckon that the Gallagher Premiership is a four-team race and the other club that they’re prepared to give a chance is Gloucester Rugby who currently occupy fourth place in the standings.
Gloucester have won the title on four occasions before and William Hill have 6/1 that they end up the overall champions, with the team having to focus on remaining in the top four to start with.
Beyond this come Harlequins, Bristol Bears and Bath, although most bookies are prepared to offer lumpy quotes about these teams doing well.
Exeter are clearly the strong favourites to be top of the regular standings although Northampton are currently pushing them close and perhaps they are a better option at 4/1.