Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Munster Rugby Preview
Munster’s South African tour continues this week as they travel to Durban to take on the Sharks. Neither side has started strongly this season in the URC, making this an important fixture. Don’t miss the kick-off at 3:00 pm on Saturday, October 26 at the Kings Park Stadium.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks enter this fixture on the back of a promising win against Glasgow. They won by four points and finally looked dangerous with the ball in hand. Munster is on a two-game slide. They looked outclassed against Leinster and the Stormers last week. This is a vital match for the Irish side, who already have three defeats in five games.
Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Munster Rugby Predictions
Score Prediction: Sharks 18-24 Munster
The Sharks look like they have turned a leaf following a blistering defeat to Benetton two weeks ago. They defeated Glasgow in a scintillating game and will fancy their chances against a sluggish Munster side. However, our rugby prediction this week is for Munster to secure a much-needed result on the road. The pressure is mounting, and they must get a result or face a bleak campaign.
Munster finds themselves in 11th place in game week five, way off the likes of Leinster and the Lions, the only two unbeaten teams in the division. The Irish side has registered 122 points so far, significantly more than any team in the bottom eight places. However, their defence has severely let them down as they have conceded 135 points. If they are to get a result on the weekend, they must shore up at the back.
The Sharks have played one less game than Munster but face similar issues. They have lost as many games as they have won, conceding 27 more points than scored. A win here would help get their campaign back on track, and there is no better place for them to do it than in Durban. Plus, when you consider Munster is struggling across the entire length of a rugby pitch, now is the time to strike.
While there is doom and gloom surrounding the Irish side, we fancy their chances this weekend. The Hollywoodbets Sharks are the worst-rated side in the URC for defensive stats. They are last for turnovers won with nine this season and have only made 540 tackles. Munster is eighth overall, and they have won 24 turnovers and made 832 tackles.
The offensive statistics tell a similar story. Munster is fourth overall with 1,883 meters gained, 39 clean breaks, 104 defenders beaten, and 37 offloads. Whereas, the Sharks have 25 clean breaks, 84 defenders beaten, and 33 offloads. If Munster can find some much-needed confidence, the defensive mistakes will lessen and they will make more of the dangerous positions they consistently create.
If you are going to bet on the URC, backing Munster on a South African tour is an enormous risk. They proved last week that they were struggling across the park as the Stormers dominated the entire second half. The Sharks might have beaten Glasgow, but they nearly let it all slip away, conceding 12 points in the last seconds of the game. Making the same mistakes against Munster will cost them any chance of turning their season around.
Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Munster Rugby Betting Tips
The fixtures this season have been incredibly difficult to call as multiple teams have struggled. Betting on the rugby this weekend will continue to surprise us, and we expect Munster to click into gear. However, there are plenty of markets to consider heading into this fixture besides betting on the winner of the match.
Match Result
Unsurprisingly, the Sharks are the clear favourites at our online bookmaker. You can back the Sharks (3/10) to win, and a €10 wager will return €13. That is the most likely result as Munster has not looked up to the challenge this season.
However, we feel a turnaround is due and it’s very profitable to bet on Munster in this game. You can secure odds worth 13/5 for the away side, which will give you €36 from a ten-euro bet. A draw does not seem on the cards this weekend, but if you are feeling brave, you can lock down odds worth 20/1 for the points to be shared in Durban.
Handicap
Looking at the handicap markets reveals an interesting trend. If you are going to bet on the Sharks, there is a consensus that there will be over eight points between the sides at full-time. The Sharks -7.5 (17/20) will give you nearly three times as much profit as an outright wager. It returns €18.50 from an identical stake. You can secure even more profit by choosing a larger handicap, but we do not think there will be over five points between the sides.
Betting on Munster this weekend feels incredibly risky, which is strange given how strongly they ended the last campaign. Munster +7.5 (22/25) returns a nearly identical amount to the Sharks. A €10 bet yields €18.80 if they win the game by any amount or lose by seven points or fewer. If you think Munster can pull off an upset by five points, the -4.5 handicap market has odds worth 9/2.
Winning Margin
Usually when betting on the URC, the winning margin at Novibet offers punters fantastic value. This weekend is no different, as the Sharks winning by 1 to 7 points (13/5) would give you €36 from a €10 bet. Making the same stake on the Sharks to win by 8 to 14 points (5/2) would give you one euro less in profit. Instead, our sportsbook thinks the winning margin will be over 15 points, as that has the smallest returns.
We are going against the grain this weekend, meaning there is a lot of potential profit available. Betting on Munster to win by 1 to 7 points (9/2) would give you €55 in total. If you think the Irish province will finally kick into gear this season, it is 30/1 for them to win by 15 points or more. That means a €10 bet will return €290 in profit.
Player Prop Bets
Making prop bets on the rugby is a lot of fun, and there are a couple of standout players in this game. Gavin Coombes is the joint-top try scorer this season with four, making him a fantastic option for anyone looking at a build-a-bet. Andre Esterhuizen leads the way for the Sharks with two scores. We fancy both to add to their tallies on Saturday.
Tom Farrell is Munster’s number one for successful carries this campaign with 29. Esterhuizen is not far behind with 24, the same number as Coombes. A bet on Coombes to score a try, Esterhuizen to make five successful carries, and Farrell to do the same could be very profitable this weekend.
Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Munster Rugby Key Stats and Head-To-Head
Since 2021, these two sides have met four times. Three meetings have been in the United Rugby Championship, with Munster winning twice and one fixture ending as a draw. The other match between these clubs came in 2023 in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The Sharks secured revenge with a thumping win over Munster in Durban. Could history repeat itself this weekend?
The last time these clubs faced each other was in October last year. Munster hosted the Sharks, and they won by 13 points at the final whistle. The hosts blew the South Africans out of the water with an electric first half. Four tries shared between the sides meant it was 21-7 at the break. The Sharks looked likely to mount a comeback until Cameron Wright went to the sin bin. The game fizzled out and Munster coasted to a home victory.
When Munster last made the journey to Durban, it finished 22 apiece. The Sharks started on the front foot and capitalised when the visitors went down to 14 with half an hour played. Shane Daly went to the sin bin, and the half ended 19-3 to the hosts. The Sharks scored their final points of the day with 44 minutes played, and with the score sitting at 22-3, it looked like they had all the points in the bag.
However, Aphelele Fassi gave away a penalty try and went to the sin bin. Even though Peter O’Mahony went to the bin two minutes later, the momentum had shifted. A Nash and Murray try allowed the visitors to equalise with 14 minutes left. Neither side could find a way through in the final exchanges, and the Sharks held on for a point.
Betting on a draw this weekend seems likely given the history. However, both sides have changed drastically since April 2023. The Sharks are in a better place right now compared to Munster and they have the advantage of playing at home. Travelling to South Africa is never easy, let alone for a team that has failed to get going on this campaign. Yet, we feel like it is a make-or-break week for the Irish side, and this is where they show everyone what they are made of. We are backing a surprise turnaround in Durban this weekend.
Hollywoodbets Sharks Team News
The Sharks’ head coach John Plumtree has announced his starting lineup for the Munster clash. Siya Kolisi is the number eight this week with James Venter and Vincent Tshituka entering the starting team. They confirmed Grant Williams as the scrum-half this weekend. Yaw Penxe, Marnus Potgieter, Khwezi Mona, Ethan Hooker, and Braam Reyneke will miss this match with injuries.
Munster Rugby Team News
Conor Murray departed the tour early as he returned to Ireland for family reasons. Paddy Patterson and George Hadden made the trip to South Africa as potential replacements. Three players could return in time for this game as Craig Casey, Alex Nankivell, and Diarmuid Barron edge closer to full fitness. Brian Gleeson and Diarmuid Kilgallen have returned to full training but are not in the squad for this tour.
The severity of the injuries to Jeremy Loughman and Shane Daly will be determined later this week following scans. But there is no update on the following injured players: Roman Salanoa, Edwin Edogbo, Cian Hurley, Patrick Campbell, Thaakir Abrahams, Liam Coombes, Peter O’Mahony, Oli Jager, Dave Kilcoyne, Mark Donnelly, and Josh Wycherley.
