DHL Stormers vs Munster Rugby Preview
The United Rugby Championship has already thrown up plenty of surprises as we enter week five of the season. This weekend our focus is on the DHL Stormers and welcome Munster to South Africa. Kick-off takes place at 5:00 pm IST on Saturday, October 19 in Cape Town.
The Stormers have only played three matches this season but already find themselves at the bottom. They have one win against Zebre, but heavy defeats to the Ospreys and Edinburgh. Normally, you would fancy any side to take advantage of these slip-ups, but Munster has been inconsistent. The Irish side lost to Zebre in week two and was way off the pace last week against Leinster.
DHL Stormers vs Munster Rugby Predictions
Score Prediction: Stormers 18-25 Munster
Although Munster has experienced a shaky start to the 2024-25 URC season, we expect the Irish side to win this game. They both have injuries to manage, but the visitors have enjoyed recent success against the Stormers. Our rugby prediction for this fixture is for Munster to win by 7 points or more at the final whistle.
Both sides have struggled more than expected this campaign. The Stormers enjoyed a fantastic end to the last campaign, finishing 5th out of the 16 teams in the division. Munster ended the campaign in first position having only lost four matches all season. So far, Munster has been way off the pace-setters Leinster. That was clear in last week’s fixture as they went 21 points down in the blink of an eye. Plus, the Stormers are struggling, having only picked up one victory so far.
URC betting is never straightforward, but we like Munster’s chances of walking out of Cape Town with a victory. However, you should never overlook the difficulty of taking points away from the South African sides while on tour. So far, Munster has played two games at home and two on the road. They have lost both road games to Zebre and Leinster.
However, the Stormers have not yet kicked into gear this campaign. All South African teams missed the first week of the new season, meaning they have played one game less than everyone else. Since then, they have lost to the Ospreys, beaten Zebre, and lost by 31 points to Edinburgh. The only positive is that they played three games on the road, meaning we expect a better performance in front of their home fans.
Neither side has been consistent with or without the ball. The Stormers have only scored 67 points across three games but they have conceded 80. While all three matches have been on the road, they have struggled against some mediocre sides. Whereas, Munster lost against the only side the South Africans have beaten, Zebre. The Reds bounced back after the shock defeat in Italy by keeping the Ospreys scoreless. However, last week they looked way off the pace against the high-flying Leinster.
If you are going to bet on rugby union games, you must consider the advantage teams have at home, especially in South Africa. The Stormers enter this fixture as the favourite, and it’s clear to see why given Munster’s poor start to the campaign. However, home advantage can only go so far. Our URC prediction is for Munster to steady the ship with a win this weekend.
DHL Stormers vs Munster Rugby Betting Tips
Every week is hard when placing sports bets, but the URC is finally in full swing. The Stormers will hope this is when they can get their season back on track with their first home game. Munster has a South African tour to contend with, and given their poor performances at Leinster and Zebre, there is little faith they can achieve a result. We have highlighted a few markets below to help you make a winning wager.
Match Result
Anyone placing a wager this weekend should look at the match result. It offers a great indication of the side most likely to win. The Stormers (7/20) are the clear favourites heading into this fixture because of how inconsistent Munster has been. Betting on the Stormers will turn your €10 stake into €13.50.
Munster (11/5) is our prick, although they have even better odds than expected. A similar stake on the away side will return €32 if they can pull off a miracle in South Africa. We are backing Munster this weekend as we feel it is crunch time. The pressure is mounting after poor performances in Italy and against provincial rivals Leinster. It is a tall order to get anything in Cape Town, but now is as good a chance as any with the hosts recording one win in three.
https://twitter.com/Munsterrugby/status/1846539147290505623
Handicap
Looking at the handicap reveals just how close our online bookmaker believes this game to be. Stormers -1.5 (4/11) returns ten cents more than an outright prediction. Choosing the -7.5 handicap for the home side increases your odds to 5/6, returning €18.30 from a €10 stake. This shows they expect the result to be close even though the Stormers are clear favourites to win.
While it is risky to bet on Munster this weekend, we feel the potential rewards offer enough incentive. Munster -4.5 (9/2) would yield €55 from a ten euro bet. The away side must win by five points to secure over five times your stake. Even Munster +1.5 (2/1) represents a fantastic return on your investment. Betting on the away side in South Africa is difficult at the best of times, but we have faith that Munster will make a game of it in Cape Town.
Winning Margin
We like a wager on the winning margin in games where there is a chance of an upset. However, the Stormers are the home side, and they have plenty of pressure to deal with as well. Having only won one fixture in this campaign, this could be a must-win for the hosts. The Stormers to win by 1 to 7 points (13/5) is worth considering. A €10 bet would give you €36 if they narrowly beat the visitors.
A long shot could be worthwhile if you are determined to bet on the URC. Munster to win by 15 points or more (30/1) offers incredible returns. A €10 stake in this market will give players €300. While we think a scoreline as wide as this is unlikely, Munster looked like an unstoppable team at the tail end of last season. If they can find form when least expected this week, they could make a lot of loyal bettors very happy with a scintillating performance.
It might make sense to wait until the game kicks off on Saturday, October 19 at 5 pm before placing a wager. If you hold off until the match begins, you can make live bets as the action transpires. If Munster starts slowly like they did against Leinster, you know any wager on a comeback is not worthwhile. Plus, if Munster starts with scores of their own, you can back the hosts at improved odds.
DHL Stormers vs Munster Rugby Key Stats and Head-To-Head
The last time Munster faced the Stormers was in November 2023. The Stormers made the trip up north and narrowly lost in a very low-scoring game. It finished 10-3 with most of the points coming in the first half.
Munster scored a penalty in the 15th minute to kick things off before Neethling Fouché went to the sin bin. The hosts capitalised on the advantage of 15 men to score the only try of the game by Edwin Edogbo. Sacha Mngomenzulu scored a penalty for the visitors six minutes after the restart, but that was the final noteworthy part of the match. It finished 10-3 to Munster.
May 2023 is when the Stormers last hosted Munster. It was another low-scoring match as the Irish side came out on top by five points. The game in Cape Town was aggressive, with a lot to play for. It was the URC Grand Final for the 2022/23 season and three players went to the sin bin over the 80 minutes. It was a five-try game with the hosts starting on the front foot. Munster hit back immediately before Evan Roos picked up the first yellow card. A second Irish try in the first half meant it finished 7-12 after 40 minutes.
Mike Haley went to the sin bin for Munster after ten minutes in the second half, opening the door for the DHL Stormers to take the lead. Deon Fourie took the ball over the line, and the South African side had a slender two-point lead. They held on until the final minutes when John Hodnett scored the winning try with three to play. Jack Crowley overstepped the mark with seconds on the clock, but it was not enough of an opening for the Stormers, and it finished 14-19.
Both teams enter this round on the back of humiliating defeats. The Stormers were the clear favourites against Edinburgh but fell well short of the Scottish side. It finished 38-7 and it could have been worse for the travelling side. Munster put in another poor performance against Leinster. The first 15 minutes cost the visitors the game as they conceded three scores without reply. It was a royal mess for Munster, who, even after making changes, never really threatened the league leaders. It finished 26-12 in a comfortable game for Leinster.
DHL Stormers Team News
There are many reasons for the DHL Stormers’ slow start to the campaign, but the injuries are not helping. Steven Kitshoff and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are not available for the Munster clash. Frans Malherbe and Manie Libbok will also miss the match, but they should return in time for Glasgow the week after.
Munster Rugby Team News
Munster Rugby’s management team announced a 32-man squad for the two-week South African tour. Scannell, Daly, and Burns made the squad and have returned to full training this week. Diarmuid Barron also travelled but will not feature this weekend after failing a HIA.
Several players on the injury list did not make the journey with the rest of the squad, including Brian Gleeson, Paddy Patterson, Thaakir Abrahams, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Liam Coombes, Mark Donnelly, and Joshy Wycherley. Plus, Roman Salanoa, Dave Kilcoyne, Edwin Edogbo, Oli Jager, Patrick Campbell, Peter O’Mahony, and Cian Hurley are continuing to rehab.
