Why Ulster is a Good Outside Bet to Win the 2019/20 Pro14 Championship
Ulster will be up there at the end of the 2019/20 Pro14 season. It looks highly likely that they will make it to the playoffs, even at this early stage of the season.
Content such as this rugby betting guide can tell you everything you need to know about what makes champions and how to make yourself money betting on them, but with Ulster, do we believe they have what it takes?
The consensus is that Ulster is a strong team full of top-class talent, but there is something missing. Even the most educated rugby fan will probably struggle to put their finger on what that is.
We have seen some incredible players wowing the crowds at Ravenhill over the years. But, is Ulster just missing the type of x-factor that players such as David Humphreys, Ruan Pienaar, and Tommy Bowe used to take to the pitch?
Recent acquisitions like Jordi Murphy, Jack McGrath, and Marty Moore have been added to a squad featuring top class guys such as Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale, Will Addison, and Craig Gilroy. On paper, this is a solid team that can challenge anyone on any given day.
In 2018/19, Ulster was smashed off the park by 50 points to 20 in the Pro14 semi-final against Glasgow. This year, Ulster was just about beaten 36-33 with most of the team’s best players in Japan for the Rugby World Cup.
It is not outside of the realms of possibility for Ulster to really gel this season as a side and start to make good on the big promise this crop of players has.
How Ulster Can Win the Pro14
Leinster and Munster are the two best teams in the Pro14. I don’t think that is even up for debate now, with Glasgow having lost their talisman Stuart Hogg and a couple of others.
Other than these three teams, there is no one that Ulster should fear. If anything, I think Ulster should be fashioning themselves as a unit capable of beating all three sides above, regardless of where the fixture is being held.
The key component in any championship-winning side, however, is consistency. This is something that we haven’t seen from Ulster in years, never mind over the course of the past couple of campaigns.
There is a solid team in Ulster that will be led out by Ireland’s monstrous lock, Iain Henderson. But, there are numerous leaders that have had their hands in elite international rugby matches.
It is up to the experienced players to give the younger men coming through the impetus to really put their hands up and be counted in 2019/20. There are academy players that can come through and have the same effect as young Stockdale did in 2018, providing they are given the right support.
There are exciting times ahead for Ulster and we will start to see the beginnings of that, this year. I think they are worth, at the very least, an outside bet for the Pro14 final.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some consistency and belief.
