Leinster odds-on to end European drought
Leinster Slight Favourites
BoyleSports has made Leinster the slight 10/11 favourites to beat Toulouse in this Saturday’s Champions Cup Final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Leo Cullen’s side have now made it to three Champions Cup finals in a row but lost out to La Rochelle in 2022 and 2023 as their bid for a first European title since 2018 continues. A demolition of La Rochelle this year saw the side sail into the semi-finals and a nail-biting victory over Northampton sees The Blues face five-time European champions, Toulouse, in the final.
Toulouse's Final Route
The Antione Dupont led side brushed Exeter aside in a nine try rout in the quarterfinals, before much like Leinster, they survived a second-half rally in the semi-finals and they now brace themselves to hold onto the mantle of Europe’s most decorated champions, lying one title clear of Leinster.
Both teams have significant recent history together, with Leinster emerging the victors in a set of semi-finals in 2022 and 2023, before going on to become the first side in the Champions Cup era to lose consecutive finals.
A 40-17 rout in the 2022 semi-final and a convincing 41-22 win in 2023 have so far seen Leinster come out on top against the French side, but the betting suggests there is little to separate the sides this year, with Leinster easing out to 10/11 (from 4/5) and Toulouse just marginal underdogs at even money.
Battle Of The Scrum-Halfs
It could prove to be a battle of the sensational scrum-halves, with Jamison Gibson-Park rated a 2/1 shot to score a try while French wizard Antoine Dupont is 17/10 to go over the line for the French. With James Lowe scoring a hattrick of tries in the semi-final, he’s an odds-on 10/11 shot to score at least one in the final, while Dan Sheehan who tied for top tryscorer at the Six Nations is 10/1 to claim the first try of the match.
Brian O’Keeffe, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said:
“The betting is on a knife-edge for the Champions Cup final and we make Leinster marginal favourites to bounce back from their final losses in 2022 and 2023. If their previous clashes are anything to go by it could be a high-scoring affair and James Lowe is rated most likely to cross the try line.”
Match Betting
10/11 Leinster
22/1 Draw
Evs Toulouse
First Tryscorer
7/1 James Lowe
9/1 Matthis Lebel
10/1 Dan Sheehan
12/1 Antoine Dupont
12/1 Peato Mauvaka
14/1 Jamison Gibson-Park
14/1 Jordan Larmour
14/1 Juan Cruz Mallia
20/1 Bar
Anytime Tryscorer
10/11 James Lowe
6/5 Matthis Lebel
11/8 Dan Sheehan
17/10 Antoine Dupont
17/10 Peato Mauvaka
2/1 Jamison Gibson-Park
2/1 Jordan Larmour
2/1 Juan Cruz Mallia
3/1 Bar
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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