Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Premiership Rugby match.
This is the fight to get a spot in the play-offs. The Bears are currently third, while the Sharks are fourth. If the home side loses this match, they will fall to the sixth place as their rivals are to face some easier opponents in the penultimate round.
Sale Sharks
In the first match during Boxing Week, the Sharks beat the Bears (38:0). An away victory of the Sharks to nil happened for the first time in their head-to-head history in the Premiership. Now the Sharks need to win. How do they perform in their home games? Amazing! They have lost only two games in over a year and 16 matches. Once they lost to the Doncaster Knights (19:20) in the Premiership Cup, which is not an important tournament, and another case is losing to the leader of the season from Bath (22:32). Even in the last round, in the away game versus the Leicester Tigers, the Sharks would have a lead. They lost in the end, though (34:44).
Bristol Bears
The Bears ended their 3-game losing streak in the Premiership by winning the leaders from Bath (36:14). Their opponents had only lost twice before that. It could have been called a sensation, but there was something inside this. Bath kept many of their key players away from the main squad. Finn Russell, Sam Underhill, Will Stuart and some other players weren’t even on the bench. Despite this victory, the Bears still have problems in their away games. They have won only 3 out of the last 10 matches, losing the last 3 in a row. Their opponents had at least a 9-point lead.
Sale Sharks vs Bristol Bears Prediction
Third position and a three-point lead leave an opportunity to lose some points for the Bears. The Sharks can’t do the same. This is why they’re supposed to win.
