Saracens v Bulls: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The Bulls have made the knockout stage of the European Champions Cup in both of the last two seasons since South African sides were included in the tournament and they should be confident of pushing hosts Saracens all the way in their opening clash.

These two teams met in the first round last season in Pretoria, where the Bulls ran up a 27-6 lead by the hour mark on the way to a 27-16 victory.

Sarries should be stronger on home soil, but they have had a shaky start to the season following a significant turnover of players in the summer and go into this match on a run of three defeats in their last four Premiership games.

The Bulls are given a five-point handicap start in anticipation of a close-fought encounter at the StoneX Stadium.

Saracens v Bulls betting tips and predictions

Bulls +5.5 - 10/11

The Bulls proved last year they are not a team to be taken lightly on the road and they can play their part in a hard-fought clash at Saracens.

South African teams are renowned for their forward power and they can match anything Sarries throw at them up front, while wet and windy conditions could play into the visitors’ hands.

Last season in Europe the Bulls won at Premiership side Sale and were beaten by a single point at Lyon, while they have won three of their four away matches in the United Rugby Championship this season, their only defeat coming again by a single point against the Scarlets.

The travel demands on South African teams is often cited as a factor in their performance, but the Bulls head straight to London from Ireland following last week’s 28-14 United Rugby Championship victory over Connacht.

Sarries have had to rebuild since the summer and fly-half Owen Farrell’s departure and, while they are still clearly a top-class outfit, they have struggled for consistency this season and go into this match following a surprise 17-15 defeat at lowly Newcastle.

They were also beaten by Leicester in their last home outing, while their only win since the start of October was by two points over Bristol. 

The Bulls line up with seven of the team who started last season’s meeting in Pretoria, including half-back pairing Embrose Papier and Johan Goosen.

Difficult conditions may limit scoring in this match and the visitors can make the best of a five-point start.

Embrose Papier to score a try - 7/2

Forecast rain and strong winds are hardly conducive to expansive rugby and, given that the Bulls’ strength is in their pack and set-piece, it would be no surprise to see them try to keep the match as tight as possible.

Both sets of forwards will be more than happy to keep the ball in hand and aim to drive over rather than risk spreading the play wide.

It could well be that the forwards get in on any try-scoring action, but Bulls scrum-half Papier looks the one to back as he will be in place to dive over when his powerful pack have driven up to the line.

The seven-time capped Springbok, has crossed twice already this season in the United Rugby Championship, including in last weekend’s win over Connacht.

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Saracens v Bulls odds

Saracens - 1/2
Draw - 20/1
Bulls - 13/8

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.