England v Australia: Lions Have the Edge for Twickenham Clash
Both countries have begun their Autumn International campaigns with fairly routine wins although neither England nor Australia would have been too happy with their performances against Argentina and Wales respectively.
With those games behind them, Saturday’s match at Twickenham will represent a much tougher 80 minutes and if there is any dip in form on either side, it should be decisive in terms of the outcome.
We’ve a busy betting market for this fixture and it’s one where the bookmakers have identified clear favourites.
Match Odds
Eddie Jones’ England are a short odds on option to win this match and can be picked up at best odds of 2/5 with Betway right now. Australia are therefore some way back at a top price of 11/4 with Ladbrokes and Coral while the draw completes things at a best of 25/1 with Bet365 and SportingBet.
Matches between these two have often been close, hard fought affairs and while Australian rugby union is in a bit of a slump right now, the Wallabies’ battling victory over Wales in Cardiff last week suggests that this could end with a similar outcome.
Jones was displeased with England’s performance against Argentina and his language – both body and verbal – indicated that a big improvement was needed. The Aussies will be a far tougher test and while the hosts should win it, we expect this to be a great deal closer than those prices suggest.
Try Scoring Bets
Nathan Hughes and Semesa Rokoduguni both crossed the line for five point English scores last weekend and while there are no individual try scorer markets open just yet, there are indicators that we can take when considering other options.
Over in Cardiff, Australia ran in four tries as they overcame Wales so the Wallabies may be the better option as the team to score the first try on Saturday at 15/8 with Paddy Power. England have opposite odds of 8/15 with William Hill and Paddy Power but they did concede late on against the Argentines and will be vulnerable against a better side.
Australia to score the most tries could also be a bet to look out for but at present, no odds could be found here.
Instead, we’ll look to repeat a bet that came in for us last weekend and opt for a forward to score the first try. Nathan Hughes crossed over at lock against Argentina and this week the best price is quoted at 2/5 with Betway. Alternatively, you can get a best of 15/8 with Betway again on a forward scoring the first try at Twickenham.
Other Side Bets
As we mentioned, Australian rugby union isn’t at its best right now but they have the ability to run England close and we’ve already seen some excellent value in markets we’ve touched on. Another bet that really stands out therefore is the Half Time / Full Time option of Australia / England which can be backed at best odds of 67/10 with MarathonBet.
Eddie Jones may have the stronger side but we’re basing all of our calls on immediate form and if England start as slowly as they did against Argentina, this bet has every chance of landing.
It’s tempting to make this our final tip but instead we’ll head to the Winning Margin betting where we had additional success last weekend. Against Argentina, we took England to win by 11-20 points at 11/4 and you can take that again this week at a slightly reduced figure of 5/2 with Ladbrokes and Coral.
We think it will be a little closer than that so will round off with a tip of England to win by 1-12 points and that’s at 17/10 with 188Bet.
England were unconvincing last week and while this isn’t the best Australian team to arrive on these shores, the Wallabies always seem to raise their game for this fixture and we’re anticipating a close, tense encounter at Twickenham this Saturday.
Best Bets:
- Australia to score the first try at 15/8 with Paddy Power
- A forward to score the first try at 2/5 with Betway
- England to win by between 1-12 points at 17/10 with 188Bet
