Ulster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby Preview
It’s round 15 of the United Rugby Championship this weekend, with Ulster Rugby hosting Benetton Rugby at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. Kick-off is at 7:35 PM GMT on Friday. Every game is important as we approach the final fixtures of the season.
The away side will be confident going into this fixture, having won their past two URC games, against Connacht and the Dragons. Ulster won their last match when they narrowly defeated Cardiff, 19-17. The home side goes into this clash as heavy favourites.
Ulster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby Head-To-Head and Key Stats
There’s little to separate the two teams in this season’s United Rugby Championship. Benetton heads into this weekend’s game in fifth, with Ulster down in 10th. The home team can surpass the visitors in the playoff race if they secure a win, as three points currently separate the sides.
Ulster’s recent form has been disappointing. They have picked up two wins from their past seven games. Their victory over Cardiff in the URC last weekend has kept them firmly in playoff contention. A John Cooney last-minute penalty secured the points for the Northern Irish side. In contrast, the Italians have won their last four rugby games in all competitions. Confidence will be high for the side with an EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final against Gloucester Rugby to look forward to next weekend.
The last meeting between the two sides was in Italy when Benetton edged past their visitors 31-29. Benetton’s Fly Half, Tomas Albornoz, helped himself to 12 points on that occasion. He scored a try, two conversions, and a penalty.
On the Italians’ previous trip to Belfast, they suffered a 28-8 defeat. Nathan Doak’s two tries helped Ulster to a bonus point victory on a day when club legend, Rob Herring, made his 200th appearance for the province.
In this year’s URC, Ulster can boast the competition’s joint-third-highest try scorer in Tom Stewart. He has seven so far, and a couple of his teammates – Jacob Stockdale and Nick Timoney – are right on his tail with six each to their name. Ulster also ranks second in the URC for tries from kicks. Expect an aerial bombardment on Benetton’s backs this weekend.
As for Benetton, they’re pretty low in most key statistics. They’re second for kicking metres, and the fourth-best team in terms of discipline. Discipline could play a part in seeing them pick up a victory this weekend. Fly Half, Jacob Umaga sits fifth in the point-scoring chart with 97. However, he started from the substitutes bench last week, and it may be a similar story this time.
Ulster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Ulster Rugby 28-10 Benetton Rugby
Despite their recent excellent form, we predict the visitors will lose by 14 points or more. Ulster’s squad boasts six players from Ireland’s recent Six Nations triumph. Despite Benetton having plenty of Italian internationals in their ranks, we’re backing the home side to power past them.
Benetton got the better of Ulster the last time they played, but we can’t see that happening again. The bookies agree, with betting odds of around 1/8 for the home side to win. Given the lack of value in a simple home team wager, you can find better odds in the handicap market. An Ulster victory with a 14-point handicap looks to be of great value at 10/11.
If you’re confident in the home side’s chances of building on last weekend’s narrow URC victory, you can get odds of 10/3 on a home victory with a 26.5-point handicap. However, we see the contest a lot closer than that.
We’re also backing Ulster to win both halves, score the first points, and score four or more tries. You can always bet in-play if you want to wait and see the match before putting any money down. You can reduce your risk even further by taking advantage of our welcome bonus when you sign up for Novibet.
In terms of players, Tom Stewart looks a good bet to score a try anytime, having bagged seven so far in the URC. And given that we’re backing Ulster to score four tries, you could double up with a Jacob Stockdale try. The winger has crossed the try line six times in the URC this year.
Ulster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby Betting Tips
At odds of just 1/8 to win, there’s very little value in betting on Ulster, with a profit of just €1 for every €8 staked. Odds on a Benetton victory are 6/1, and with the Italians on a four-game winning streak, it’s certainly an outside chance. They might have one eye on next week’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final against Gloucester Rugby. A home victory looks like the most likely outcome.
An Ulster victory with a 14-point handicap will see you almost double your money at 10/11, and that looks to be great value in our eyes as far as this week’s rugby wagers go. The half-time handicap market looks to be of good value as well. You can get odds of 5/6 on Ulster to lead at the interval with a 6.5 handicap. We’d expect the first half to be a tighter affair with the home side pulling away in the second half.
And if you fancy a punt but don’t know where to start, check the odd and even points markets. This rugby betting option gives you odds of 5/6, so you’ll be close to doubling up your stake if it comes in.
Ulster Rugby Team News & Lineup
The biggest news from Ulster this week is the loss of two-time World Cup winner, Steven Kitshoff. They announced that the 32-year-old South African prop is heading home to rejoin the Stormers at the end of the season. A knee injury suffered in Ulster’s European Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat by Clermont Auvergne cut his campaign short.
In more bad news for the province, James Hume suffered a ‘significant knee injury’ in last week’s URC victory over Cardiff. There’s been no timeline put on the centre’s return. He’ll be seeing a specialist knee surgeon this week. Last week’s win also came at a cost for Jake Flannery, Nathan Doak, and Tom O’Toole, who picked up thigh, ankle and groin injuries respectively. The medical team will assess the players before the game and are still in contention to play.
Your Ulster side to take on @BenettonRugby at Kingspan Stadium tomorrow night 🔥
🎟️ | https://t.co/CeQIeRbpBQ#SUFTUM pic.twitter.com/J8xWZbrt3i
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) April 25, 2024
If Doak misses out, John Cooney will be confident of stepping straight into his boots at Scrum Half, after nailing the match-winning penalty in last weekend’s victory over Cardiff. Billy Burns will be first in line to replace Jake Flannery. Especially after he stepped up from the bench last week. Harry Sheridan’s man-of-the-match display should see him hold his spot in the starting XV.
- Ulster Predicted Lineup: E. O’Sullivan, T. Stewart, S. Wilson, H. Sheridan, A. O’Connor, D. Ewers, R. Crothers, D. McCann, J. Cooney, B. Burns, J. Stockdale, S. McCloskey, W. Addison, R. Baloucoune, and M. Lowry.
- Replacements: J. Andrew, A. Warwick, J. French, C. Izuchukwu, G. Jones, D. Shannahan, L. Marshall, and E. McIlroy.
The only player from last week’s victory over Cardiff ruled out is centre James Hume. Ethan McIlroy came off the bench in that game to replace him and will hope he’s done enough to earn a starting spot this week. If McIlroy comes into the starting side, then fellow centre could take his bench spot, Stuart McCloskey.
Benetton Rugby Team News
No major injury concerns for Benetton following last week’s URC victory over the Dragons. Scott Scrafton came through the game unscathed in his long-awaited comeback after more than a year out through injury. They might rest him this weekend to help ease him into first-team action.
Jacob Umaga will push for a start at Fly Half after an impressive cameo off the bench last weekend. With an EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final against Gloucester Rugby next weekend in the back of the minds, there may be more changes for the Italians.
The injured list contains several players, including Marcus Watson, Lorenzo Cannone and Niccolo Cannone. This weekend’s game has come too soon for them.
- Benetton Predicted Lineup: T. Gallo, G. Nicotera, S. Ferrari, S. Scrafton, E. Iachizzi, A. Izekor, M. Lamaro, L. Cannone, A. Uren, T. Albornoz, R. Smith, M. Zanon, T. Menoncello, L. Marin, and J. Umaga.
- Replacements: G. Lucchesi, I. Nemer, T. Pasquali, N. Cannone, R. Favretto, T. Halafihi, A. Gabrisi, and F. Drago.
