Manawatu will be looking to overcome the odds when they take on Canterbury on Thursday the 6th of September.
Canterbury and Manawatu are set to collide in Round 4 Mitre 10 Cup action this coming Thursday. The two teams head into this one off the back of contrasting results with Canterbury beating in-form Bay of Plenty 19-31 and Manawatu going down 17-50 to Otago.
Canterbury v Manawatu
Thursday 6 September
Christchurch Stadium
09:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Canterbury 1/14
Draw 45/1
Manawatu 13/2
Handicap
Canterbury (-19) (9/10) *
Manawatu (+19) 9/10
Canterbury
The reigning champions racked up their third victory of the season last weekend as they beat a red-hot Bay of Plenty outfit by 12 points out in Bay country. This weekend’s hosts demonstrated some real grit last week as they overturned a 19-14 first-quarter deficit to run out 31-19 victors.
While there were some pleasing elements for the Canterbury coaching staff there were also a few concerns with their scrum struggling against Bay of Plenty’s pack. The men from Canterbury will need to work on their set-piece this week as it’s sure to be an area Manawatu target.
Manawatu
Manawatu’s woes continued last week as the Championship outfit suffered their second defeat of the season going down 17-50 to Otago on home soil. The result has left this weekend’s visitors only four-points clear of Championship cellar-dwellers Southland.
Manawatu face a stiff challenge here as this Canterbury side is really starting to hit their straps. The hosts’ back-line is starting to click and if they can resolve their scrummaging issues, then I fear the worst for Manawatu.
Verdict: Canterbury (-19) (9/10)*
I can’t see Canterbury having any issues here. My money is on them taking this one by 18 points or more.
* Forecast handicaps
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
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