The return of the Premier League may steal the headlines this weekend, but there is plenty more sport on offer. Top of the bill is the resumption of the Ashes with the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, as England look to bring the famous urn back to home soil. They can secure it with a win over Australia in Nottingham. Meanwhile, the Bridgestone Invitational sees the world’s best golfers converge on Akron, Ohio to compete for vital FedEx Cup points and a tasty jackpot of over nine million dollars.
Rugby is not letting football dominate the back pages quite yet, and there are a couple of significant encounters coming up. In Rugby Union, Australia take on New Zealand in a Rugby Championship decider, while Rugby League’s Super 8 qualifiers begin with Wigan Warriors taking on Huddersfield Giants in what will be a hotly contested fixture. What all four events have in common is a sense of unpredictability due to serious competition, and that means bets are high risk, but also high yield. Therefore there are serious gains to be had if you look in the right places.
- Ashes Fourth Test – Stuart Broad Top Bowler (9/2 at Bet365)
- WGC Bridgestone Invitational – Jason Day (14/1 E/W at Sky Bet)
- Australia vs New Zealand – New Zealand, winning margin 6-10 (11/2 at Coral)
- Wigan Warriors vs Huddersfield Giants – Wigan, winning margin 11-15 (15/2 at BetVictor)
England vs Australia, Fourth Ashes Test – 6th-10th August
After a crushing victory at Edgbaston England took the initiative in the Ashes series once again, but at 2-1 up with two Tests left to play, Alastair Cook’s charges will not be counting chickens before they hatch. Both sides will be shaken up as well, which only makes the outcome of this Test more unpredictable. England will have to cope with the loss of James Anderson while hoping Adam Lyth can pick up form at the top of the order, while Australia need misfiring captain Michael Clarke to deliver more than ever.
All eyes will be on the bowlers, as the side who takes 20 wickets more often than not win the match. If the ball swings as it did in Birmingham, the likes of the resurgent Steven Finn will have a field day. The Mitchells (Starc and Johnson rather than Phil and Grant) will be keen to bounce back after lacklustre performances. If the pitch dries out in the first couple of days, Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon will come into the game, but it is likely to be a tale of pace, bounce and swing.
However, it is local lad Stuart Broad that catches the eye. The Nottinghamshire bowler knows the Trent Bridge track inside out and will look to use that to his advantage against an Australian order that looked a shadow of its normal self last time out. With no Jimmy Anderson for England and the Australia attack bereft of confidence, plus Broad’s knack for cleaning out the tail, Bet365’s offer of 9/2 on Nottingham’s prodigal son taking the plaudits as top bowler look very tempting indeed.
Stuart Broad Top Bowler (9/2 at Bet365)
WGC Bridgestone Invitational – 6th-9th August
When 48 of the world’s top 50 are competing in one place, people tend to take notice. The WGC Bridgestone Invitational may not be a Major but the $9.25m and 550 FedEx Cup points that will be scooped up by the winner have certainly attracted the game’s big guns. However, world number one Rory McIlroy misses out through the ankle ligament injury that kept him out of the British Open, meaning Jordan Spieth can usurp him at the top of the rankings with a victory at Firestone Country Club.
Firestone favours the big hitters, with a course that stretches out over a whopping 7,400 yards and demands a par of 70, and there are plenty of big guns in the field. 15 under par was enough to secure the title for McIlroy last year, and thanks to an abundance of top level competitors and some very friendly greens a number of challengers will look to hit long and score low. Spieth is of course the favourite, but Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson will use their monster drives to their advantage. The green is the business end, however, and Justin Rose is a master with the putter. He and Rickie Fowler looked sharp at the Quicken Loans National recently and will fancy their chances. Keegan Bradley is as far out as 33/1 (Sky Bet) but has an excellent record at Firestone.
There is plenty of quality in the field, then, but Jason Day stands out. The Australian may have a reputation for falling short in the majors but he is a constant contender on the Tour, as evidenced by victory at the RBC Canadian Open on his last outing. Day has the ability to hit long balls and will be looking to top his fourth place finish in 2011. Day is a confidence player, and given his current form the Aussie has it in spades. He is worth a punt to win at 14/1 with Sky Bet – but he is an absolute cert on an each way bet.
Jason Day (14/1 E/W, Sky Bet)
Australia vs New Zealand – 8th August
The 2015 Rugby Championship concludes on Saturday, with this year’s edition much shorter than usual as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina gear up for this year’s World Cup. In a battle of the southern hemisphere’s biggest talents, it is hardly surprising that New Zealand and Australia have risen to the top of the pack: after two games both have picked up two wins and one bonus point to lead the way on nine points apiece. That means this weekend’s encounter will decide whether New Zealand continue their record of winning every Rugby Championship since it changed from the Tri Nations to its current four-team format in 2012, or if Australia can buck the trend.
Neither team has been hugely impressive so far: although both dealt with Argentina comfortably, the two sides needed a try in the last 10 minutes to see off South Africa. Australia currently lead with a points difference of +29 to New Zealand’s +28, so a draw would see the Aussies take the crown – but don’t count on it. New Zealand’s offensive power was too much for Australia to deal with in last season’s Rugby Championship as they sauntered to a 51-20 win, but in October 2014 it was much closer, with the All Blacks needing a last minute try to secure victory. That try-scoring power is significant, and seven different players have crossed the line for the world champions. But Australia will be confident of scoring themselves, with Adam Ashley-Cooper and Tevita Kuridrani having already notched up two tries apiece in these championships.
Therefore, you would expect points aplenty, but not necessarily most of them coming at one end. New Zealand’s firepower should see them outscore the Aussies by at least a try, and with set-piece points being picked up here and there, the 11/2 being offered for New Zealand to win by 6-10 points by Coral seems a good offer.
New Zealand, winning margin 6-10 (11/2 at Coral)
Wigan Warriors vs Huddersfield Giants – August 6th
The regular Super League season is over, and the Super 8s begins with two of the Super League’s top four battling it out in a Top 8 fixture. Still with me? Wigan Warriors finished third with 31 points in the regular season, and they carry over to the Top 8 qualifying group. Huddersfield Giants were three points behind and finished fourth, and both stand a half-decent chance of making the Grand Final. On paper, there is not much between these sides.
Huddersfield’s unbeaten run stretches as far back as Round 21, while Wigan’s goes back to the round before, so both will be looking to extend what are currently short runs of form in this opening fixture. The Warriors will be favourites having beaten the Giants all three times in the regular season, including a 57-4 mauling in September 2014. In more recent times Wigan recorded an impressive win over regular season table-toppers Leeds Rhinos and with the exception of the 17-6 defeat to Warrington Wolves at the start of July have scored with impressive consistency. They notched up 51 points more than their opponents over 23 games before the Super 8s began and will be keen to extend that lead in the opening round of Top 8 fixtures.
Huddersfield have scored in the 30s on five of their last six outings, and so they are potent in the attack, but Wigan certainly look the stronger side. They are out as far as 15/2 with BetVictor to win this one by 11-15 points, and it’s worth a shot. If you fancy more of a pounding, Sky have a winning margin of 21-30 at 5s, but we’re more inclined to predict a slightly closer affair.
Wigan Warriors, winning margin 11-15 (15/2 at BetVictor)