Saracens v Gloucester
Premiership Rugby – 1.30 pm
BT Sport
This is the first of the Premiership semi-final matches this weekend. Saracens rested a lot of their main players last weekend as they lost at Worcester. Heading into that final round of the regular season, they did have a narrow chance of winning the league. They needed to win and for Exeter to not win their final fixture in order to have a chance. Neither thing happened. Saracens decided to not both with chasing down that slim chance of topping the table, instead focusing ahead for this clash with Gloucester.
With good reason, because even though Sarries are 10/11 for a -11 handicap in this fixture, Gloucester are a threat. Saracens know that having lost against the Cherry & Whites already this season. Saracens are the reigning Premiership holders and they have won four of their last five semi final matches. All six of the defeats that Saracens have taken this season have been since November. However, their home form is impeccable. They haven’t lost at the Allianz Park in over twenty matches in all competitions.
Gloucester are the only one of the four teams in the 2019 semi finals to have never won the Premiership. During a powerful run of form this season, Gloucester won six of seven games, beating Exeter and Saracens in that sequence. However, the win over Saracens was at home. Gloucester are winless in their last seven trips to Allianz Park. But the Cherry & Whites have had plenty of time to prepare, having secured a top-four place with three games to spare. Cracking the home form of Saracens is going to be tough and Gloucester are 10/3 in the match outright to do so.
Exeter v Northampton
Premiership Rugby – 4.30 pm
BT Sport
Exeter finished top of the table during the regular season in the Premiership. That means nothing in terms of winning the title, other than they are one of the four teams remaining who can do it this season. Just two of the last seven Premiership table-toppers have lifted the Premiership title that same season. This is the playoffs, a semi-final clash against Northampton and the winner will move though to the Premiership Final.
These two met last weekend in the final round of regular season action and it was a great game too. The two were level at the halftime break with both teams having something at stake. Exeter needed to win to guarantee top spot. Northampton needed a win to guarantee that they reached the semi-finals. It was Exeter who poured on the pressure in the second half of the fixture posting a big 40-21 success.
At Sandy Park, Exeter have lost just one game since February last year and with them having won four of their last five against the Saints, they are heading to the game as favourites. The Chiefs are 10/11 with top bookies to cover a -11 handicap. Northampton squeezed through to the semi-finals because of Harlequins missing a late penalty kick against Wasps on the final day of action. Can they take their chance at Sandy Park in this reprieve? Their loss against Exeter on the weekend snapped a three-match winning streak they were on. The Saints are on a seven-match losing streak at Sandy Park. They have big 10/3 underdog outright odds to defy.
Newport v Tranmere
League 2 Play-Off Final – 3.00 pm
Sky Sports
One of these will be moving on up to League One next season. Who will it be? This has the look of being a really tight and tense meeting at Wembley. Newport have been so well organised in defence this season and they closed out the season with an unbeaten 10 match sequence of games. The Exiles picked up a clean sheet in seven of those ten games. They superbly held off Mansfield in their playoff semifinal in the second leg away from home. They won through on a penalty shootout and are 2/1 underdogs at Wembley.
Tranmere have not been in great winning touch since the beginning of April really. They have won just two of their last nine games though. Rovers have gone W1 D3 L2 in their last six played. The one victory in that sequence was at home against Forest Green in the first leg of their playoff semi-final. Tranmere were helped out a lot in that playoff semi-final tie as well, their opponents picking up a red card in both legs of the tie. Tranmere did finish the regular season with a better defensive record than Newport. Can they rediscover their form when they need it most? They are 6/4 favourites still for the day at top bookies.
England v Australia
Cricket
Sky Sports
An old rivalry is rekindled here and this is a fantastic primer ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup. England, as hosts, are going into the summer action as the outright favourites to lift the trophy. They head into this warm up after beating Pakistan 4-0 in their recent ODI series. With everything aligning for them, from the World Cup being a home tournament to them being the number one ranked ODI team in the world, England are the ones to beat.
But beating England is exactly what their old foes Australia are going to be aiming to do on the weekend when they arrive. The tourists are 13/10 underdogs in Southampton. Australia have just started to show a bit of form as well after having some difficulties. Recent positive results against Pakistan and India have lifted their spirits. The return of the experienced David Warner and Steve Smith has helped them ahead of the World Cup.
However, will punters simply see an England victory as one of the best bets of the day, as they have won ten of the last eleven ODI internationals against Australia? This will be the first meeting between the two teams in a ODI in Southampton since a 2015 clash was won there by Australia. The leading bookmakers have England as 8/13 favourites for the match victory.
