Edinburgh vs Leinster Preview
Edinburgh and Leinster clash at Hive Stadium on September 20th for their United Rugby Championship season opener. Both teams want to kick off their new campaign with a bang after tumultuous 2023/24 campaigns.
Leinster enter this game as the early favourite to win the URC. Change is afoot for both teams who have plenty to prove. Leinster fans are excited to see RG Snyman line out for their side. Meanwhile, Edinburgh have made new signings of their own.
This is a big early test for both teams with their supporters expecting a strong start. Leinster carry the favourites tag but Edinburgh believe they can win this home clash.
Edinburgh vs Leinster Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Edinburgh hopes to move up the table this season after they finished 10th in the United Rugby Championship last year and missed the playoffs. It will have hurt them to watch the Glasgow Warriors win the title last time out. Edinburgh are still some ways from being contenders but they’re capable of shock wins on their day.
Meanwhile, Leinster are one of European rugby’s powerhouses. They fell short of their lofty targets last year. Their Champion’s Cup experience was heartbreaking. Then they fell to a loss against the Bulls in the URC semifinal. Some fans even called for coach Leo Cullen’s job after the latter defeat, but he remains in charge until 2025.
Leinster have a strong head-to-head record against Edinburgh. The Irish province has enjoyed five wins on the bounce with the most recent a 36-27 victory last November. Edinburgh’s last win over Leinster was a 28-11 URC victory in 2019. The Scottish team’s most recent successes against Leinster came at home. However, Leinster inflicted a 47-27 beatdown in their last meeting at Hive Stadium.
Edinburgh went three on the bounce before a disappointing finish to their season with back-to-back defeats. Leinster lost three of their last five games including the Champion’s Cup Final defeat to Toulouse. Their URC form suffered at times because they rotated heavily for their European campaign. However, they’ll give this game their full focus.
Nothing beats unexpected warm weather training. ☀️🧴😄#FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/yOVSghmSCx
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) September 16, 2024
One of the biggest talking points before this game is Leinster’s fly-half situation. They had an abundance of options last year but neither of the Byrne brothers inspired. Sam Prendergast appears to have the highest ceiling. He wanted to go to Connacht on loan but Leinster blocked this. Meanwhile, Ciaran Frawley had an excellent Test series against South Africa during the summer.
Edinburgh added the likes of Mosese Tuipulotu and Ross Thompson this summer to boost their hopes of a playoff push. Leinster’s most high-profile signing was South African World Cup winner RG Snyman from arch-rivals Munster. Fans will hope to see these men play on Friday.
Edinburgh vs Leinster Predictions
Predicted Score: Edinburgh 16 – 30 Leinster
Our rugby prediction is that Leinster will win this game against Edinburgh with ease. We expect that both teams may experience rust after their summer break. They’ll also be bedding in new signings and adopting new systems.
However, Leinster has one of the strongest rosters in world rugby today. Elite players like Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan are returning in a massive boost for the Irish side. They’ve also added an imposing physical presence in Snyman who is a master of the dark arts.
Edinburgh are no pushovers. They have 26 full Scotland internationals in their squad. The likes of Grant Gilchrist and Ali Price have significant quality. They’re capable of pulling off a shock if Leinster don’t play to their full potential. The Irish side’s scrum remains a worry as they enter the new campaign, but we simply don’t think that Edinburgh are good enough to exploit them.
However, the good news for Edinburgh is that Leinster are missing some key internationals. New captain Caelan Doris is unavailable while the likes of Garry Ringrose and James Ryan won’t play. This means that Jack Conan will probably lead the Irish province at the Hive Stadium.
Meanwhile, there’s a sense that Leinster must get their fly-half decision right from the very beginning. The popular choice is between Ciaran Frawley and Sam Prendergast. We believe that Cullen should opt for the former because of his physical development and form in South Africa.
Prendergast will get his chance throughout the season but he’ll wait for now. However, Ross Byrne started the friendly against Bordeaux so he may play again. His lack of consistency and flair is an issue. Byrne’s selection won’t inspire the Leinster fans.
𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 🔵🤩
After a long wait, we're ready for Friday's @URCOfficial opener away to Edinburgh. 💪#FromTheGroundUp #EDIvLEI pic.twitter.com/QxyznAUsHD
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) September 16, 2024
The head-to-head record is with Leinster as they’ve won 10 of their 12 games against Edinburgh. We think that they’re too good to suffer a wobble in this match. It will be a tough start to the campaign for Edinburgh coach Mike Blair.
Ben Healy is probably Edinburgh’s key player. He was extremely influential in 2023/24 with the most kicks in play and kick metres in the entire URC. But he also had the most turnovers, and this will be something that he must try to correct.
Check out the in-play betting odds during this game. Edinburgh could enjoy a fast start in front of their passionate home fans. We’d still expect Leinster to come roaring back and seal the victory. Remember, odds may fluctuate if key players suffer injuries or go to the sin bin.
Edinburgh vs Leinster Betting Tips
Leinster are the favourite to win this game against Edinburgh on the sports betting site. It’s currently 1/4 for them to achieve victory in the Scottish capital. A successful €10 stake would make €2.50 if successful. This isn’t the most profitable outcome so betting on Leinster to win outright isn’t the best option.
Some fans will back Edinburgh to win this home game. It’s 14/5 for them to upset the odds and defeat the Irish province. This would be a massive shock. A €10 bet would make a sizeable €28 profit if they pull it off. Most rugby analysts expect Leinster to contend for major silverware this year. It would be a success if Edinburgh even made the URC playoffs.
Betting on rugby is exciting because there are many markets to choose from. Consider applying a handicap to make a wager on Leinster more lucrative. A -8.5 handicap on the Irish side could make €9 at 9/10. This also correlates with our predicted score.
Muncaster back in the mix 💥@Muncaster_Ben pic.twitter.com/Yws3n6Xnk5
— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) September 13, 2024
You can make an over-under bet on the total number of points in this game. We predict that there will be over 45. Another option is the winning margin. It’s 5/4 for Leinster to win this game by 8 to 14 points. This time you could make €12.50 from €5.40. This is a great prop bet if you’re backing Leinster to win.
Don’t forget the Irish team will be missing some key players ahead of this opening United Rugby Championship game. If they were at their full strength we’d expect an even bigger winning margin.
Other options include halftime/full-time results and odd/even match total points. It’s 22/1 for this game to finish in a draw. This is unlikely but it could be a good opportunity to use our welcome bonus. New players can enjoy this benefit after registration.
There are plenty of other thrilling matches this weekend in the URC. You can bet on Munster vs Connacht in an All-Ireland clash while Ulster face Glasgow. Consider creating an accumulator to boost the odds and make the games even more exciting.
Looking beyond this game, Leinster are the current favourites to win it all in the URC betting at 5/8. We’re very sceptical about this. Yes, they have one of the strongest teams in the tournament. But they didn’t take it completely seriously and fell short last year.
We’ve no issue with them being favourites but they have big competition in the Bulls, Munster and Glasgow. Check out our URC preview for more insight into this season’s campaign.
Edinburgh Team News
Mike Blair has several injury problems with nine players likely to miss this clash with Leinster. Glen Young sustained a pec injury on Scotland duty and is unavailable. Sam Skinner is recovering from knee surgery. The Leinster clash comes too early for Luke Crosbie and James Lang who should return at the end of the month. Angus Williams and Harry Paterson are out until November.
Leinster Team News
Leinster is missing a clutch of experienced internationals ahead of this game. James Ryan, Caelan Doris, and Garry Ringrose are unavailable. Cullen is likely to upset Leinster fans by picking Ross Byrne ahead of Sam Prendergast. Rabah Slimani will make his debut after arriving during the summer. He replaces Michael Ala’alatoa. Ronan Kelleher has the opportunity to make the hooker position his after Dan Sheehan’s ACL injury.
