'Best Bet Summer Special' - The Ashes 2009 with Betfair

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of my guest betting blog. In the second part of my 'summer special' I am switching my attention from rugby union to cricket, and focusing on the current Ashes series between England and Australia.

The Aussies, are of course holders of the famous urn, after their 5-0 whitewash down under in 2006/07. Not that you would think that if you have been following the media circus surrounding this iconic 'cricketing battle.'
The British media seemed to have conveniently forgotten about 'that' series and before a ball had been bowled in anger this series, every broadcast and journalistic column inch had instead been devoted to that famous summer of 2005, when England regained the Ashes for the fist time since 1989.

To the current series:
The opening test in Cardiff re-created some of the spirit of 2005, especially on the last day as Monty Panesar and James Anderson clung on to secure an unlikely draw for England.
It got even better at Lord’s as England buried a 75 year hoodoo to go 1-0 up in the second test of this five match series.

England’s hero on that dramatic final day at the home of cricket, Andrew Flintoff, has announced his retirement from test cricket after this series. Will he go out on a high? Can we grasp the Ashes back from the clutches of the Aussies?

Here are the latest Ashes odds:

Who will win the Ashes?

Australia 11/4 England 5/4

Series score:

England to win:

4-0 54/1 3-0 16/1 3-1 19/1 2-0 8/1 2-1 9/2 1-0 12/1

Australia to win:

3-1 14-1 2-1 9/2

Drawn series:

1-1 4/1 2-2 6/5

Top series run-scorer:

Andrew Strauss 3/1 Ricky Ponting 7/2 Michael Clarke 5/1 Simon Katich 9/1 Paul Collingwood 11/1 Alastair Cook 14/ Brad Haddin 14/1 Michael Hussey 22/1 Philip Hughes 49/1

Top series wicket taker:

Mitchell Johnson 5/6 James Anderson 5/1 Ben Hilfenhaus 4/1 Andrew Flintoff 7/1 Nathan Hauritz 9/1 Peter Siddle 10/1 Graeme Swann 12/1 Stuart Broad 27/1 Graham Onions 41/1 Brett Lee 69/1

Series Specials:

Will there be a hatrick in the series? Yes 15/2 No 1/18

Will there be a double century? Yes 5/2 No 1/3

Will someone get ten wickets in the match? Yes 6/1 No 1/14


My 'best bet' prediction’ for Ashes betting:

I have to admit at the outset I thought the Aussies would come out on top. Though Ricky Ponting’s men are not as formidable as they once were, due in part to the retirement of cricketing legends such as Warne, McGrath, Hayden, Langer and Gilchrist, the Aussie's should not be underestimated.
But with the advantage now lying with England I did wonder whether I should change my mind. However without the likes of Simon Jones and a firing Steve Harmison I just don't think we have enough in our bowling attack to consistently take 20 wickets a test, especially with the continuous doubts surrounding the extent of Freddie Flintoff's knee problems.
On that basis I am going to be very unpatriotic and predict a 2-1 Australia series win at 9/2.

Feilpe Massa

It goes without saying that all fans of Formula One motor racing, myself included, along with everyone directly involved within the sport itself, in whatever capacity, wish Felipe Massa a full and speedy recovery following his accident at the weekend.

In the second round of qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix the Brazilian was struck on the helmet at high-speed by a suspension spring that had fallen from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn.
He subsequently crashed head on into a tyre wall.
After about five minutes Felipe was removed from his wrecked car, taken by ambulance to a waiting medical helicopter, and flown to hospital.

Massa's father, mother and pregnant wife have flown in to Hungary from Brazil to be at his bedside.

His condition at present has been described as 'severe but not critical' after surgery on his fractured skull in Hungary.

At this time all our thoughts are with him and his family.

Get well soon Felipe!

Today's Latest Transfer Gossip

With the 2009/10 football season almost upon us, transfer speculation as you would expect is rife up and down the country, and also abroad as Clubs swoop for those last minute additions to their squads that could make the difference between a successful campaign and a poor one.

Real Madrid, Tottenham, Arsenal, Fiorentina, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Hull, Fulham, Napoli, AC Milan, Espanyol, Aston Villa, Bolton, Everton, Ipswich, Doncaster, Swansea, Newcastle, Sunderland, Marseille, Bristol City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and FC Dallas are all caught up in transfer gossip today.

Is your Club involved?

Here is a round up:

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp still wants to sign Real Madrid striker Klass-Jan Huntler, however, the Dutchman will have to drop his £90K a week pay demands - Daily Mail

Tottenham have made a £6m bid for Newcastle's French defender Sebastien Bassong - Daily Express

Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue, is a £9m target for Fiorentina and several Spanish clubs - Daily Express

Liverpool's Spanish defender Alvaro Arbeloa is expected to join Real Madrid next week in a £4.5m move - The Sun

Meanwhile Liverpool are in talks with Napoli to offload Italian defender Andrea Dossen - Daily Mirror

Portsmouth will replace Peter Crouch with Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic, if the former leaves Fratton Park - Daily Star

Pompey are also on the verge of of completing the signing of former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan from Espanyol - The Sun

Bolton have completed the signings of Aston Villa defender Zat Knight and Hull full-back Sam Ricketts on three-year deals for a total believed to be in the region of £6m - Goals.com, ESPN Soccernet, EatSleepSport

Hull are interested in signing Sol Campbell from Portsmouth, but Pompey have slapped a £2m price tag on the 34 year old defender - The Sun

It seems nothing is straightforward at the KC stadium, with Hull City target Bobby Zamora now stalling over putting pen to paper on his proposed transfer from Fulham, for a fee believed to be in the region of £5m - Fulhamweb.com

Fulham have joined Everton in the race to sign £3m rated Sweden international midfielder Rasmus Elm, 21 - Daily Mirror

Everton boss David Moyes is considering a move for Hull defender Michael Turner - Daily Mail

Manchester City striker Ched Evans has moved to Sheffield United for £3m. The 20 year-old Wales international has signed a three year deal for the Blades - Daily Star

Doncaster Rovers have offered a trial to former Manchester Utd midfielder Quinton Fortune - Daily Star

Bristol City want to sign USA striker Kenny Cooper from FC Dallas for £2m - The Sun

A Classic Sporting Moment - Rugby Union

With the footy season still a few weeks away from being in full swing, and following the tremendously exciting three match test series between South Africa and The British and Irish Lions recently, I thought I would take a little time out to reflect on one of the many fantastic moments the game of rugby union has seen over the years.

There are and have been as you would expect many exciting and dramatic occassions over the years: England's World Cup Final victory in 2003, care of Johnny Wilkinson's infamous drop goal in the dying seconds of extra-time, or Johah Lomu's single handed destruction of England in the 1995 World Cup quarter-final or perhaps Jerry Guscott's last minute drop goal to win the previous Lions series in South Africa back in 1997.........to name but a few.

The list is mouth-watering and literally endless!

However I am going to go back 36 years to the 27th January 1973 to be exact, and the venue The Arms Park, Cardiff. I feel this piece of rugby nostalgia is right up there not just as a great moment in rugby history, but as an 'all-time classic sporting moment' in its own right, made as famous it has to be said by the commentary of the great Cliff Morgan, as much as for the skill and teamwork applied to produce an end result of epic proportions - that took just 23 seconds to complete from start to finish.

This is Cliff Morgan's commentary word for word, followed by the link to the moment itself:

"Kirkpatrick to Williams. This is great stuff! Phil Bennett covering. Chased by Alistair Scown. Brilliant, oh that's brilliant! John Williams, Bryan Williams. Pullin. John Dawes, great dummy. To David, Tom David, the half-way line! Brilliant by Quinnell! This is Gareth Edwards, a dramaric start, what a score!"

Now watch Gareth Edward's try for The Barbarians against The All Blacks in 1973.

If you were lucky enough to have been at The Arms Park that day, or even to witness it on television it has almost become a Neil Armstong, John F. Kennedy, John Lennon type moment.........everybody knows where they were when they heard the news or watched the event!

After-Dinner Sports Tales - Chris Coleman

This month is my third installment of humorous after-dinner sporting tales, as told by current or ex-professional sportsman.
In May I wrote about an after-dinner tale as told by ex-footballer Rodney Marsh, last month was the turn of the former England rugby international and British Lion Wade Dooley.

Today I am returning to football and a man who is currently plying his trade as a manager, following a successful stint as a player.
Welsh international footballer Chris Coleman was born in Swansea, started his playing career at Manchester City as a trainee before moving back to his hometown club in South Wales, where he went on to made 160 appearances. He left Swansea for Crystal Palace in 1991, where he spent 4 years with the South Londoner's, and during that time won the first of his 32 caps for Wales. He left Palace for Blackburn in 1995, before joining Fulham two years later.

However, Coleman's playing career was prematurely ended after he broke his leg in three places following a horrific car crash in Surrey in January 2001.
Following managerial stints at Fulham and Real Sociedad, Coleman has been charge of Championship side Coventry City since February 2008.

Here are two amusing excerpts from a speech made by Chris at a sporting dinner.

"While I was playing for Crystal Palace, we were 3-0 down at half-time and the manager Alan Smith flew into a rage during our team talk. Sitting next to me was my team-mate Richard Shaw, and next to him a table with tea and sandwiches on it.

During his moment of anger Alan Smith threw a cup of tea at the wall and up-turned the tray of sandwiches, one of which landed on Richard's head. He was so afraid, he sat there for ten minutes with the sandwich still on the top of his head until Alan Smith left the room!"

****************************************************************************************************

"During the same team-talk our goalkeeper Woody (Andrew Woodman) was coming in for a bit of stick from Alan, who unstrapped his gold Rolex watch from his wrist and dangled it in front of Woody, saying, 'You'll never own one of these son, because after a performance like that, you'll never go any further in the game.'

With that he lobbed the watch at Woody to catch, who nervously dropped it on the floor!"

C.P.F.C Pre-Season 2009 - Fixtures, Results and Scorers.

Thurs 9th July: Boreham Wood 0-4 Palace, Meadow Park.
Palace goalscorers: Maric (Trialist), Ertl, Djilali, Thomas.

Monday, 13 July: Crystal Palace XI 5-2 Crystal Palace FC USA, Regency Furniture Stadium, Waldorf, Maryland, USA.
Palace goalscorers: Lee, Flores 2 (both o.g's), Sears, N'Diaye.

Thurs 16th July: Harrisburg City Islanders 1-3 Crystal Palace XI, Lancaster's Clipper Magazine Stadium, Pennsylvania, USA.
Palace goalscorers: Sears, Ambrose, Danns. Watch the goals here.

Tue 21st July: Brentford 2-2 Palace, Griffin Park.Palace goalscorers: Ambrose, J. Fonte.

Fri 24th July: Bristol Rovers 0-3 Palace, The Memorial Ground.
Palace goalscorers: Sears, Danns (pen), N'Diaye.

Sat 25th July: Sutton Utd 0-2 Palace XI, Borough Sports Ground.
Palace goalscorers: Wright, Pinney.

Tue 28th July: Palace 0-1 Norwich City, Selhurst Park.

Wed 29th July: East Grinstead Town FC 0-6 Palace XI, East Court, East Grinstead.
Palace goalscorers: Pinney, Scannell, N'Diaye, Cadogan (2), Thomas.

Thur 30th July: Bromley 0-1 Palace, Hayes Lane.
Palace goalscorer: N'Diaye.

Sun 2nd August: Palace 0-1 Gillingham, Selhurst Park.

‘Best Bet Summer Special’ - English & Irish Lions Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello and welcome to my second 'Best Bet Summer Special' focusing on the British and Irish Lions Tour of South Africa.

I hoped I would be writing this with the series still in the balance ahead of the third and final test this weekend.

However after the Lions' painful (in more ways than one) defeat last Saturday, culminating in the loss of the series to the hosts, Ian McGeechan's men will be desperate to wrestle back some pride and go out on a high following the controversy and heartbreak of the opening two tests.

Here is a quick review of the first two matches:

First Test: Durban, 20th June

South Africa (19) 26
Tries: Smit, Brussow Cons: Pienaar 2 Pens: Pienaar 3, Steyn
Lions (7) 21
Tries: Croft 2, Phillips Cons: Jones 3

A sluggish start from the Lions in Durban allowed Springbok John Smit to go over for an early score to help South Africa build a commanding 19-7 lead at half time. Shortly after the break the Boks' further extended their lead to 26-7.
However the Lions fought back when Tom Croft went over for a second time with twelve minutes remaining, before a late Mike Phillips try set up a tight and tense finish.
But in the end the Lions had simply left themselves too much to do, and the Springboks held on for a narrow victory.


Second Test: Pretoria, 27th June

South Africa (8) 28
Tries: Pietersen, Habana, Fourie Con: M Steyn 2 Pens: F Steyn, M Steyn 2
Lions (16) 25
Tries Kearney Con: S Jones Pens: S Jones 5 Drop-goal: S Jones

Heartbreaking, agonizing, brutal, ferocious, merciless - any or all of those words could describe the manner of the Lions' defeat in the second test. They led until the 74th minute before a contentious Jaque Fourie try was duly converted, nudging the hosts in front. Stephen Jones' well-taken penalty levelled the scores with only three minutes remaining, but Morne Styen's thumping 53 metre penalty with the last kick of the game sealed the win and the series for the Springboks.

There was plenty of fall-out from the defeat, with Schalk Burger (yellow carded in the first-minute of the match for eye-gouging) and subsequently cited, found guilty and banned for eight-weeks as television footage showed Burger's fingers 'making contact with the face in the eye area' of Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald.
Bakkies Botha will also miss the last Test after being banned for two weeks for dangerous charging. Botha was suspended for a challenge on Adam Jones which left the British and Irish Lions prop with a dislocated shoulder and his tour over.

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers was widely condemned for initially defending Burger's actions before, somewhat unsurprisingly, changing his mind.


Third (and Final Test): Johannesburg, 4th July

Betfair has a variety of rugby bets on offer for the game on Saturday. Here are a few to get you started:

Match odds:

South Africa 1/3 Lions 4/1 Draw 39/1

First scoring play:

South Africa Try 9/2 South Africa penalty 7/4

Lions try 7/1 Lions penalty 85/40 Drop goal (either team) 10/1

Winning margin:

South Africa under 12 points 15/8 South Africa over 12 points 11/8

Lions Under 12 points 5/1 Lions over 12 points 11/1
The Draw 39/1

Race to ten points:

South Africa 1/20 England 5/4 Neither team 19/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

It has been a long and gruelling tour for the Lions and I have a feeling they will be determined to take something tangible from the experience.

I predict a narrow win under 12 points for the Lions at rugby odds of 5/1.

This would mean my earlier prediction for a 2-1 series win to South Africa at odds of 5/2 would also bear fruit.

Babe Of The Month - WAG Sylvie van der Vaart.............. Just Add Water For A Taste Of Honey!

Beer Goggles - Fact or Fallacy?

Last year researchers at the Manchester University published a study that said 'beer goggles' really do exist and the brain child behind the survey even published a formula to calculate their effect.

Many men have used 'beer goggles' to justify something they have regretted the morning after the night before.
This year some 'dickheads' from the University of Leicester are trying to rain on our parade as they try to chew up and spit out the only decent excuse us guys ever had for waking up the morning after a skinfull with the 'devil woman' lying next to you.........but if recent research is to be believed we can forget the 'beer goggles' excuse from now on!

A psychological study suggests that far from alcohol making men find women prettier, it might even have the opposite effect - making them less attracted to potential mates.
Apparently the demon drink also makes no difference to men's ability to judge a woman's age, and booze also makes no difference to a man's ability to guess a woman's age, the research found.

Scientists asked a group of 240 men and women in bars and cafes to look at photos of women and comment on their age and attractiveness.
Half the participants used in the experiment had consumed alcoholic drinks, with effects rated as 'relaxed and benign', 'blunted and disinherited,' 'boisterous and over-expressive', and 'unambiguously drunk.'

Some of the pictures of 10 young women aged 17 were digitally altered to make them appear younger or older. Make-up was also applied digitally to a number of images.
The findings showed that alcohol reduced the ability of women to guess the age of the photo models, but not men.
Both the effects of alcohol and prettifying a face with make-up had little effect on men's judgement.

Dr Vincent Egan, a Home Office advisor and his 'chuckle brother' colleagues, from the University of Leicester said: 'This study suggests that alcohol consumption and make-up use do not interfere with how old we perceive someone to be.'

Another interesting finding was that overall participants who drank alcohol actually rated all the women in the photos as less attractive, compared to the participants who hadn't drunk alcohol.

This seemingly flies in the face of the commonly held notion of 'beer goggles.' Participants consistently over-estimated the age of both mature and immature faces by an average of three and a half years.

Reporting their results in the British Journal of Psychology, the researchers wrote: 'Although alcohol limited the processing of maturity cues in female observers, it had no effect on the age perceptions of males viewing female faces, suggesting male mate preferences are not easily disrupted.'
'Beer goggles’ could really be the result of lowered inhibitions, or that people are more willing to take a risk.

They clearly didn't use subjects that were drunk enough. After only a few drinks when peoples' inhibitions loosen up it's much easier for them to be mean. You need to get people past that and to the pissed/drunk stage where people just don’t give a toss any more.

Eagan said: 'Men over-estimate women’s ages and this study backs that up' and added 'it also shows that drink has nothing to do with it.'

On a more serious note, they said the influence of alcohol should not be a mitigating factor in the case of a man accused of having sex with someone under-age.
'Our study suggests that even heavy alcohol consumption does not interfere with age-perception tasks in men, so is not of itself an excuse for apparent mistaken age in cases of unlawful sex with a minor,' they wrote.

However if the research from Manchester University needed confirmation then
the 'boffins' at Bristol University also claim ‘beer goggles’ really do exist, and it takes less than two pints to distort people's opinions.

According to one report, Vodka-drinkers were told to rate the appeal of 20 male and 20 female faces on a seven-point scale. The same faces were shown to volunteers who had consumed only soft drinks. The boozers scored the faces 10 per cent higher.
And the effect on men lasted up to 24 hours after alcohol consumption - giving blokes something more than just a hangover to worry about!

Scaremongering or not, in effect this report is saying one and a half pints is all it takes to make a bloke lose the ability to distinguish the difference between a beauty and a beast.

Once we've decided that 'beer goggles' are real, the next thing we need is a way to easily quantify the effect their having on our judgment in real time. That's where the easy to use Beer Google Calculator comes in handy, and is based on the formula originally developed by the geniuses at Manchester University.

Be sure to bookmark the Beer Goggle Calculator on your phone so that you can quickly find it in your time of need. And by 'time of need' I mean in a dimly lit soiled bar while you're waiting for drink number eleven.

FYI
As @ Monday 09 March 2009:

According to the World Health Organisation top of the table for per capita drinking in the World is Luxembourg (15.6 litres per capita) followed by Ireland, with the U.K not far behind at 13.7 litres.
Next is Hungary (13.6 litres), Moldova (13.2 litres), Czech Republic (13.0 litres), Croatia (12.3 litres) and Germany(12.0 litres).
We are ahead of Russia (10.3 litres) and also the United States (8.6 litres).

It remains to be seen if one of the upsides of this recession will be a fall in drinking as more people re-evaluate their lifestyles, values and finances!

‘Best Bet Summer Special’ - English & Irish Lions Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello and welcome to my latest guest betting blog with Betfair. With the football all done and dusted for another season we now have to get our sports betting fix from somewhere else, and where better than South Africa for the British and Irish Lions tour.

Ahead of the main event there were six warm up games to get themselves primed for the World Champions. But Ian McGeekan’s men found it tough going at times. Here is a quick review of the action so far:


Royal XV 25-37 Lions

Royal XV (18) 25
Tries: Koch, Barnes, Roux Cons: Olivier, Viljoen Pens: Olivier 2

Lions (10) 37
Tries: Bowe, Byrne, Wyn Jones, O'Gara Cons: O'Gara 4 Pens: O'Gara 3

A slow start from the Lions saw them slip to an 18-10 half-time deficit, but a battling second half performance saw Tommy Bowe go over and Ronan O'Gara convert to reduce the Royal XV's lead. Late tries from Lee Byrne, Alun Wyn Jones and O'Gara saw a relieved Lions home to record an opening tour victory, against the stubborn Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace team in Rustenburg.


Golden Lions 10-74 Lions

Golden Lions (10) 10
Try: Frolick Con: Pretorius Pen: Pretorius

British and Irish Lions (39) 74
Tries: Roberts 2, O'Driscoll, Monye 2, Croft, Bowe 2, Hook, Ferris
Cons: Jones 6, Hook 3 Pens: Jones 2

As sluggish as they were in the tour’s opener the Lions were as slick, energetic and powerful in their second game as they finally put a marker down with an impressive and convincing win over the Golden Lions.
Tries from Brian O'Driscoll, Ugo Monye, Tom Croft and two from Jamie Roberts helped them into a 39-10 half-time lead at Johannesburg's Ellis Park. A brace from Tommy Bowe and further scores from Monye, James Hook and Stephen Ferris will have made South Africa sit up and take notice.


Cheetahs 24-26 Lions

Cheetahs (14) 24
Tries: Dumas, Du Preez, Uys Cons: Potgieter 2, Strydom Pen: Potgieter

British and Irish Lions (23) 26
Tries: Ferris, Earls Cons: Hook 2 Pens: Hook 4

Bloemfontein was the next venue on the list and a third Lions win out of three was secured, though they were severely tested against a determined Cheetahs side. Converted tries from Stephen Ferris and Keith Earls gave them a flying start. But when Ferris was sin-binned late on the Cheetahs took full advantage and closed the gap to just two points with eight minutes of the match still remaining. This set up a tense, nervy finish for the tourists but they stood firm and held on for a narrow victory.


Sharks 3-39 Lions

Sharks (3) 3
Pen: Kockott

British and Irish Lions (7) 39
Tries: Mears, Phillips, Fitzgerald, Byrne, Heaslip Cons: O'Gara 3, Hook
Pens: O'Gara 2

Things were much more straight forward against the Sharks in Durban. They would have been frustrated to only have a Lee Mears try to show for their first half efforts, as they dominated their Super 14 opponents. But they were more clinical in the second half with Mike Phillips, Luke Fitzgerald and Lee Byrne all going over. Jamie Heaslip completed the scoring right at the final whistle to give the scoreline a comfortable look.


Western Province 23-26 Lions

Western Province (12) 23
Try: Pietersen Pens: De Waal 4 Drops: De Waal, Pietersen

British and Irish Lions (18) 26
Tries: Bowe, Monye, M Williams Con: Jones Pens: Jones 2, Hook

As the first test gets ever closer so does the quality of the opposition and the Lions endured their toughest game yet, needing a late James Hook penalty to overcome Western Province in a soggy Newlands.
The Lions fell behind 9-6 early on but Tommy Bowes fourth try of the tour and a second from Ugo Monye gave them a 18-12 advantage at the break. Martyn Williams increased the lead but Western Province fought back and leveled the scores just after the hour. Defeat was looking a real possibility, before Hook held his nerve to calmly convert a long range penalty between the sticks with just three minutes remaining.


Southern Kings 8-20 Lions

Kings (3) 8
Tries: Mbiyozo Pens: Van der Westhuyzen

Lions (3) 20
Tries: Monye, penalty Cons: O'Gara 2Pens: O'Gara 2

The final warm-up game proved just as tough though coach Ian McGeekan will be pleased at the resilience showed after a second half onslaught by the Southern Kings. Jaco van der Westhuyzen put the Kings ahead early on before two O'Gara penalties and a Monye try put the Lions ahead. They pulled clear with a penalty try in the second half before a tight finish was ensured when Mpho Mbiyozo reduced the arrears.

The British and Irish Lions V South Africa – 20th and 27th June, 4th July.

Lets face it, these are the games everyone is waiting for. Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg play host to the three tests and The Lions will hope they can re-create the events of 1997 when they last toured South Africa.
On that occasion Jerry Guscott and Co. came away with a 2-1 series win, but the current crop of Lions will have to be at their best if they are to overcome the World Champions.

Betfair has variety of bets available if your want to bet on the Lions this summer.

Here is a selection to get you started:

Series winner:

South Africa 4/9 Lions 12/5 Draw 37/1

Series correct score:

Lions to win:
1-0 119/1 2-0 69/1 2-1 4/1 3-0 16/1

South Africa to win:
1-0 139/1 2-0 35/1 2-1 5/2 3-0 5/4

Drawn series:
0-0 999/1 1-1 69/1


Selected 1st Test Odds:

Lions 13/5 South Africa 2/5 Draw 33/1

Winning margin:

South Africa under 12.5pts 11/5 South Africa over 12.5pts 5/4
Lions under 12.5pts 7/2 Lions over 12.5pts 7/1

First team to score a try:

Lions 2/5 South Africa 6/5 No try 9/2


My 'best bet' prediciton:

The Lions victory in 1997 was based on a solid defensive unit, and I expect that to be the bedrock of any victory charge this time round. The Springboks have an imperious backline themselves and it is a tall order to expect the Lions to score a hatful of tries. Therefore I would back all the matches to be low scoring affairs. But in all honestly I can't see beyond the World Champions in this one.
I predict a 2-1 series win for the South Africans at 5/2.