You may want to put your money on the Sale Sharks, ladies and gents, but don't go betting your house on them, unless you want a hefty mortgage and a broken heart. Even though the sharks have the payout odds in their favor, Gloucester Rugby isn’t a pushover.
We're back at square one with the regular season, round one, and what a way to kick start the season with an adrenaline-fueled matchup. The Sale Sharks and Gloucester Rugby come into this with identical regular season records, but as we all know, life isn’t fair and neither is sports.
Just glance at those past matchups between our ruggers. Glory days for both teams, but let’s not dwell in the past too much, shall we? More recently, both have had a mixed bag of fortune. While Gloucester might have recently squished the Bristol Bears, it's hard not to notice Northampton's Saints sending them home with their tails tucked between their legs.
On the other hand, we have our Sale Sharks. Yes, Saracens turned them into fish and chips recently, but don’t forget they had previously gulped down the Saracens in an impressive victory.
Let’s take a look at their placements. Ah, 5th and 8th. How charming. No Cinderella story here folks, not this time.
As much as I'd love to predict a draw just for the thrill, and probably cause a few heart attacks, (oh, what fun! And the payout, my word!) it’s looking like our friends the Sharks seem to have a slightly sharper bite.
So, grab your popcorn, make yourself comfortable and don’t blink because you might just miss the action.
Albert’s Prediction: Sale Sharks by 3