Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster Rugby Preview
The United Rugby Championship continues this weekend, and Ulster faces another difficult test in South Africa. The Vodacom Bulls welcome the Northern Irish side to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Kick-off is at 3:00 pm on Saturday, October 5th.
The Bulls had their first game of the new season last week when they welcomed Edinburgh to Pretoria. It was a low-scoring game, but a victory was the most likely outcome for the Blue Bulls. Meanwhile, Ulster will hope they can bounce back after a drab performance against the Lions. It’s still early in the season, but both teams will hope they can find consistency sooner rather than later.
Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster Rugby Predictions
Match Prediction: Bulls to win by ten points or more (25-14)
Any team that makes the journey to South Africa is in for a tough time. Ulster found out last week that they could not handle the Emirates Lions. The Bulls offer a much tougher test, and our rugby prediction sees the match ending 25-14.
The Vodacom Bulls have only played one game this season against Edinburgh. It was a game the home team should have won, but the scoreline was closer than anticipated. The referee handed out three yellow cards in the game, two to the Bulls and one to Edinburgh at the end. They will need to tighten up defensively or Ulster could cause an upset this weekend.
Betting on any URC fixture this early in the season is often difficult as teams settle into the weekly grind. Ulster can take the game to the hosts; however, they fell well short of the Lions. Defensively, it was far too easy for the South African side to break the lines, something we expect the Bulls to exploit to great effect.
At the other end of the pitch, Ulster found success with four tries. Yet, we don’t expect a high-scoring game this Saturday as the Bulls should have enough discipline to hold off the Northern Irish side. This will be a low-scoring match as both teams will look to correct the defensive mistakes of last weekend. The Bulls know if they offer the same opportunities they did against Edinburgh, they could lose in front of their home fans.
If you are going to bet on this rugby union game, expect the home side to come out on top. Ulster scored four tries last weekend, but their kicking game was atrocious. They only kicked two points on the board, a last-minute conversion. With the score at 30-22 and one minute left to play, they conceded a fifth try of the day to dampen any positive notes to take from the game.
The Bulls have only played one game this season, which means there is not much to go off. However, our prediction is for the hosts to start with the first points of the game and manage a lead throughout the 80 minutes. They will work hard to earn penalties, and the kickers will decide the match. Ulster looked weak across the park against the Lions, and we don’t think they have what it takes to turn things around in a hostile environment.
Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster Rugby Betting Tips
If you are looking to bet on this United Rugby Championship fixture, plenty of markets are available at Novibet. Predicting which teams will outplay the competition will get easier as the season progresses. At this stage, betting on the home side is often the best policy, especially with teams playing in South Africa. We expect a winning wager will be any bet on the Bulls this weekend.
Match Result
The Blue Bulls (2/17) are the clear favourite in this fixture and the returns for any wager on the home side are quite small. A €10 wager will return €11.20, including your ten-euro stake. They have poor returns because Ulster looked vulnerable last weekend and will struggle with crowd advantage. While anything can happen in rugby, an upset in Pretoria would be a real shock this early in the campaign.
Placing the same bet on Ulster at 5/1 will give you €50 in profit, a much more rewarding wager. A draw is quite rare in the URC, and that would certainly be a shock in this game as the odds are worth 30/1. Betting on this market is often a good move as it does not matter what the final score is, only if the team you chose wins the match. However, the wagers listed below offer better returns for players looking to maximise their profit.
Report 📝
Emirates Lions 35-22 Ulster RugbyUlster battled in the heat to secure a bonus-point, in a tough afternoon against Emirates Lions in Round 2 of the URC 🇿🇦
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) September 28, 2024
Handicap
Backing the Bulls 13.5 (22/25) is risky and comes with small returns. Our score prediction is for the home side to win by ten points or more. But, this market requires a clear gap of 14 points at the final whistle. Looking at the recent results of both sides, the Bulls have only scored 30 points or more in one of their last five games. Whereas, Ulster has not scored over 25 in their past five matches. Betting €10 on this market will see a profit of €8.80, significantly more than a wager on the match result.
Before we move on, Ulster could pull off a miracle after a disastrous display last weekend. Even if they don’t win the game, if they are within the handicap at full-time, your wager is still a winner. Choosing Ulster Rugby +1.5 (4/1) means if they win the match or are within one point of the Bulls at the final whistle, you can win €50 from a ten euro bet.
Winning Margin
Placing a wager on the Vodacom Bulls to win by 8 to 14 points (12/5) is the most rewarding wager for the home side. Betting €15 on this market will return €51 if the hosts win by this margin. The odds for the other markets suggest that a romping is on the cards. For the Bulls to win by 15 points or more, you can secure odds worth 5/6. While the Blue Bulls might find their groove against an underwhelming Ulster side, we are backing a low-scoring match, unlike our betting site.
Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster Rugby Key Stats and Head-To-Head
The Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster Rugby fixture last took place on October 29, 2023. The match occurred in the Kingspan Stadium and Ulster was the worthy winner after 80 minutes. Tom Stewart started the scoring with a try after ten minutes. He committed players with a solo tap and go just five yards out and baffled the defenders to get the ball over the line for a try.
25 minutes into the match Will Addison overstepped the mark. Referee Gianluca Gnecchi sent Addison to the sin bin, but the momentum was with the home side. Jacob Stockdale capitalised on a sleepy defence to squeeze the ball over the line in the far-left corner. With five minutes left in the half, the Bulls finally responded with two scores to enter halftime 14-12.
The second half was a feisty game with the Bulls looking the more likely throughout. However, they gave away three penalties before they scored another try with ten minutes to play. The score was 23-19 and the result could have gone either way. Another penalty for Ulster and some stout defending saw them over the line and it finished 26-19.
That fixture was almost a year ago and both sides have changed. However, we expect a very similar match this Saturday. This time, the Bulls are the home side. We expect them to score first and hold the lead throughout. Ulster will find gaps and fight back, but they are not strong enough to hold the South Africans, even if they take the lead.
The only factor to consider when betting on this match is the sin bin. Last week, the Bulls lost two players across the 80 minutes, something Ulster will punish. Live betting after a yellow card could be a good move, especially if a Northern Irish player goes into the book. Plus, as this is a new URC season, any new players who register at Novibet can claim a fantastic welcome bonus to use on this fixture.
Vodacom Bulls Team News
While many expected Wilco Louw to lead the Bulls into a new season, he ended up missing last week’s game because of illness. The medical team announced this on Saturday, September 28. Francois Klopper stepped in at the front row, but we expect Louw to return to the squad this weekend.
Ulster Rugby Team News
Head Coach Dan McFarland made several changes to his side between the round one and two fixtures. The experiment did not work as the team struggled to close the gaps, although they created chances. We expect McFarland to revert several of his tweaks this Saturday to shore up at the back in anticipation of an onslaught.
