Vodacom Bulls vs Munster Rugby Preview
In the United Rugby Championship this week, third in the league host second. The Vodacom Bulls welcomes Munster to Pretoria, South Africa, for an incredible match. Don’t miss the kick-off at 4:05 pm on Saturday, April 20th as the winner will distance themselves from the chasing pack.
Both teams crashed out of the European Rugby Champions Cup. Munster travelled to Northampton in the round of 16, where the Saints once again got the better of the Irish side. The Bulls destroyed Lyon at the same stage but faced Northampton in the quarterfinal. The English Premiership side cruised to victory over the Bulls, ending their cup dreams early. Now that both teams can focus on the URC, who will finish the season strongly?
Vodacom Bulls vs Munster Rugby Heat-To-Head and Key Stats
With cup defeats at the hands of the Northampton Saints fresh in both teams’ minds, this round is vitally important. The Vodacom Bulls have a two-point advantage over Munster heading into this fixture, plus a vastly superior point difference. In the 13 games this season, Munster has scored 318 points and conceded 221. That gives the Irish side an overall point difference of +97. In the same number of games, the Bulls have scored 434 but conceded almost 300. Their overall point difference is +135, which should spell trouble for Munster. The only positive from the Vodacom Bulls’ stats is they have conceded the fourth most points out of any team in the division.
Reviewing the previous meetings between the Bulls and Munster, there are only two matches to discuss. Both teams have only won the home legs when facing off in 2022. Vodacom Bulls hosted the first URC meeting of the clubs in March 2022. It was a close game, but the home side won with a five-point advantage at the final whistle.
The Bulls had a simple game plan when Munster came to town, kick for points and build a lead. With three penalties in the first ten minutes, the Bulls had a three-point lead. That was the only Irish point of the half. The South African side scored a try from Tambwe and two more penalties before a Munster yellow card. Alex Kendellen got his marching orders for the last ten minutes of the half, giving the Bulls another five points with a Steenekamp score. The first half finished 26-3 and a comeback seemed unlikely.
Starting the second half, once again the South African side scored first. However, that was their only point of the half, and the visitors finally found their grove. Two tries set up a grandstand finish as Du Plessis received a straight red card with ten to play. A final Munster try got the visitors within five points with five minutes left on the clock. But the Bulls continued to work as a unit and saw out the remaining minutes. It finished 29-24, and the victory was well-deserved.
The next time these sides faced off was in Ireland. If you were betting on rugby, Munster won the first half, but the teams tied in the second. This type of wager would have huge returns at most online betting sites. The Vodacom Bulls opened the scoring with a Goosen penalty in the first ten minutes. The hosts responded after a slow start. Two scores from Coombes gave Munster a 17-3 lead at the interval. Munster picked up where they left off with another score in the first two minutes. Mornay Smith received a yellow card three minutes later. With 14 men, the Bulls fought back with scores from Steenkamp and Kriel. Munster also registered a try before the end, ending the half at 14 apiece. The final score was 31-17 and a much better Irish performance.
Predicting rugby matches is hard when there is little history between the clubs. Two yellow cards and one red were administered across the recent meetings. None of these instances had a major impact on the scoreline, but they could do this weekend. When betting on the URC, check whether the teams have a history like this. Ill discipline could easily come into play on Saturday, especially as we near the end of the season and both teams are out of the Champions Cup.
Vodacom Bulls vs Munster Rugby Predictions
Prediction: Bulls 34-28 Munster
The pressure is on both teams to get something out of this season following the defeats at the hands of the Northampton Saints. The Bulls will be full of confidence on home turf with the support of their adoring fans. We expect the team from South Africa to take the lead and cruise to a first-half victory. There will be an inevitable Munster fightback, but the Bulls will take the victory by six points.
Big moments often settle matches like this. Whether it’s finding a gap in the opponent’s defensive line or some individual skill, there will be many talking points after this game. Our rugby prediction for this match is for both sides to break through the defensive lines. The Bulls will focus on a kicking game early on to stretch the lead. Munster will hit back with a try before halftime and will work on closing the gap in the second. We also expect someone to head to the sin bin during the game. It could be a Bulls player if they are desperate to hold the lead.
Interestingly, Munster and the Bulls lost the second half of the Northampton Saints match without scoring a point. Munster was level after 40 minutes but conceded two uncontested tries to lose by ten points. The Bulls were six points behind the English side after the first half, but crumbled to a 31-0 scoreline in the second, with Hanekom going to the sin bin after 50 minutes. We don’t expect a similar performance from either side this weekend.
After a fast start, we predict both teams settling in for a tight match where the kickers decide the game. Our rugby prediction sees penalties becoming the deciding factor. Both teams will register scores, so the success rate from penalties and conversions will be crucial. Anyone thinking about live betting on the game should look at the early success rate from the kickers. If Crowley misses his first kick, backing the Bulls to win the game feels like a safe bet.
‼️YOUR LINE-UP‼️
🏉Vodacom Bulls vs Munster
🗓️20 April 2024
📍Loftus Versfeld
⏰17:05
🎟️TICKETS: https://t.co/1SiDxHNUK5 #BackTheBulls @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/f32TJiGbfm— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) April 17, 2024
Vodacom Bulls vs Munster Rugby Betting Tips
Unsurprisingly, Munster is the underdog heading into this fixture. The odds reflect the struggles of the Irish side in the URC this season. Our online sports betting site has Munster to win at 18/5. That means a €10 wager on the visitors will return €46 if they can get a win in South Africa. Betting on the Bulls this week is a much safer bet but with significantly smaller returns. The odds for the home team are 2/11, which will give you €1.82 in profit from a ten-euro bet.
The Vodacom Bulls will win this game, but there is still a slim chance of a Munster upset. In the URC, Munster has won their last four games in a row. The Bulls’ winning streak ended when the South African side travelled to Leinster in late March. Before the match, they were Leinster’s closest rivals and now they find themselves nine points behind with only three games to go. If you were betting on the URC, it seems unlikely that any team will catch Leinster, but the Bulls will have one eye on the Stormers who are closing in.
To get the most profit out of this match with the lowest risk, examine handicap betting. Betting on rugby matches using the handicap system makes everything more exciting. For your wagers to win, you need teams to win by a certain number of points. To get more out of betting on the Bulls, you can add a minus handicap to their score. Choosing anything over -5 will improve your returns, but requires a greater winning margin.
The odd or even market is another betting option worth taking a punt on. The returns are slightly lower than the value of your stake, but that is to be expected in a 50-50 market. This wager will still pay even if the result is a draw. Looking into the previous matches between the clubs, there has been one odd and one even result. We predict there will be an even number of points scored by both teams at the end of the game. This wager is a great option for existing players and anyone using a welcome bonus when they sign up at Novibet.
🗞️ SQUAD UPDATE | See the latest news from #MunsterInSA 🇿🇦 after our travelling squad & management arrived in Pretoria this afternoon ⤵️#BULvMUN #SUAF 🔴
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) April 16, 2024
Vodacom Bulls Team News
The Bulls have lost two players during this season. The 30-year-old lock Jacques Du Plessis went to Bath in England and Wandisile Simelane went to rival SA side the Stormers. There is some good news as Cobus Wiese will move from the Sale Sharks to Pretoria at the end of this season. Also, three Bulls players have recently signed new deals to stay at the club. Gerhard Steenkamp and Mpilo Gumede will remain a Vodacom Bulls player until 2028. Plus Devon Williams signed a new contract to extend his stay with the squad.
Munster Rugby Team News
Munster announced their squad for the two-match tour of South Africa this week. They named Calvin Nash, Fineen Wycherley, RG Snyman, and Shane Daly. However, the medical team will confirm the availability of these players closer to Saturday. Seven players did not feature on the travelling squad, remaining behind to focus on rehabilitation. Patrick Campbell, Diarmuid Barron, Liam Coombes, Dave Kilcoyne, Paddy Patterson, Jean Kleyn, and Roman Salanoa are unavailable.
Munster has also been busy behind the scenes. 18 players have committed their futures to the club by signing new deals and Billy Burns and Diarmuid Kilgallen are the two fresh additions for next year. The Irish team will lose the services of RG Snyman and Joey Carbery next season.
