Rugby league is one football code in England that has changed its timetable to synchronize with the competition being played in Australia. This means the Super League competition is now entering the finals stage along with Australia’s NRL competition, and both finals look to be interesting challenges for punters. In the Super League, Warrington have been the stand out team in the competition, however, you can never dismiss the likes of Wigan and St Helens while Leeds are looking strong at the right end of the season.
In rugby league betting, bookmakers have Warrington as 7/10 favourites to win the grand final followed by Wigan at 10/3, St Helens at 5/1 and Leeds at 20/1. The elimination finals are being played this weekend with Huddersfield (15/8) taking on Leeds (4/7) and Wigan (2/9) taking on the Catalan Dragons (47/10). It’s hard to see Huddersfield defeating Leeds and even harder to seeing Catalan defeating Wigan. If there is to be a surprise result, it will be Huddersfield out muscling Leeds. This will set up interesting showdowns next weekend in the semi-finals.
The Australian NRL competition will play out their semi-finals this weekend, and for rugby league punters, this is where you’re likely to see better options. While bookmakers have their favourites, the competition is far from being cut and dried. This weekends semi-finals see the Manly Sea Eagles (7/15) take on the Brisbane Broncos 5/2 and while all the money has been on Manly, we’re tipping Brisbane to win. They have the knack of winning tough games, as we saw in the elimination final where they won in extra time. At 5/2, they are great odds and may be too tough for a rather cocky Manly side.
In the second semi-final, Melbourne Storm (4/9) take on the New Zealand Warriors (9/4) and this too could be an interesting betting match. Melbourne Storm have played well this season and deserve to be the competition favourites. However, the Kiwis have proven to be tough nuts to crack, and they have a good record against Melbourne. We’re tipping the Kiwis to win this match, again surprising bookmakers and many fans.
The winners of the two competitions, the Super League and the Australian NRL will meet early next season in the World Club Challenge – a competition that English teams have dominated over the years, despite the claim that the Australian competition is the best in the world. Our tip for the club challenge – the Brisbane Broncos against Wigan.