Saracens to pip Leicester again in competitive Twickenham Final
Published:It is no coincidence that the Aviva Premiership’s top two defences occupy the table’s top two positions. With just two points fewer conceded than Leicester Tigers after 19 matches, Saracens have taken a grip on the table, and appear to be hitting form at exactly the right time.
Sarries also possess title-winning experience, having won the Grand Final in 2011.They are 6/4 to do so again this term.
In addition, they are four points ahead of Leicester with just three games to go. Odds of 1/ 4 for Mark McCall’s side to top the regular season table is certainly worth considering, especially as two of those games come at Allianz Park.
Saracens have kicked on in style since their international contingent returned to the starting line-up, and their Heineken Cup defeat of Ulster means that they have now won 14 of 16 in all competitions.
Perennial Twickenham participants Leicester offer the most perilous threat to Saracens’ chances.
The Tigers’ Heineken Cup defeat to Toulon – in which they kept the Top 14 leaders try-less – was an impressive effort; Richard Cockerill will have been especially pleased with the way his pack dominated the host’s exalted counterparts.
It’s difficult not to see Leicester’s colours adorning sections of Twickenham at a fixture they have now competed in for eight consecutive seasons. They are subsequently 1/2 to reach the final and 13/8 to win it – the former should certainly find much support.
However, what gives Saracens the edge in any Grand Final match-up is their five-point win at Welford Road this term (the match at Saracens, played at Wembley, ended 9-9), as well as their 2011 Grand Final win over Cockerill’s men.
Harlequins’ recent 27-12 defeat at Saracens was comprehensive in all aspects of the game. Three defeats in three has severely dampened Quins’ hopes of ending the season with silverware.
They have drifted to 9/2 for a Grand Final victory, and will have to defy both form and history if they are to reach the final itself, for which they are 9/5, though it is hard to see them beating either of the two frontrunners to do so.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
