Otago vs Wellington Predictions & Tips - Wellington backed to make it six from six

Ralph Staniforth

Editor

Last updated: 10 Sep 2024

Listen

Ralph Staniforth 10 Sep 2024

Share this article

Otago inconsistent, placed 11th with two wins from five matches.
Wellington in top form, winning their last five matches.
Wellington favored to cover the -7 handicap and go top of the table.

Expired

Wellington set for sixth successive victory in NPC (Getty Image)

Otago vs Wellington Predictions

Otago have been inconsistent so much depends on which teams pitches up for them. However, Wellington are in great form and will want to go top of the table here. I am backing the visitors to cover the -7 handicap.

Otago vs Wellington Predictions
Head to Head
Otago Form
Otago Injuries & Team News
Wellington Form
Wellington Injuries & Team News

Otago have lost 3 of their last 5 matches.
Otago lost their last match by 18 points.
Wellington have won their last 5 matches.
Wellington have won their last 2 matches against Otago.
Wellington have covered the -7 handicap in 4 of their last 5 matches.

Head to Head

Wellington have won three of their last five against Otago, including the last two. They last met in the 2023 NPC; a match Wellington won 28-5 away from home.

Otago Form

Otago come into this fixture placed 11th on the table with two victories from their five matches thus far. They are on 10 points, just two off the playoff spots.

It has been a bit of a strange season for the Dunedin outfit as they’ve lost games they really should have won and then beaten others unexpectedly. In round two, Otago beat Auckland by two points, a week before they went down inexplicably to Southland.

After defeating Auckland against the odds, Otago were in fine form again, beating the then unbeaten Bay of Plenty 31-26. However, Otago then suffered a 22-18 away loss to Taranaki before going down 34-16 at home to Canterbury last weekend.

Otago Injuries & Team News

Otago did rest some players at the weekend which explains their average performance. This will be a tough contest though against the unbeaten Wellington.

Wellington Form

Wellington could move top with victory against Otago. After five matches, they are second with five victories, but they do have a game in hand on Hawkes Bay, who are currently top by two points.

Wellington came into the season as favourites for the NPC title and they have looked good value for it to date. They began the season with eight point and seven-point wins over Auckland and Taranaki before beating Manawatu 39-31.

Round four brough a superb performance as Wellington ran Canterbury ragged, winning 46-21. This last weekend, Wellington had little problem putting Southland away 36-12.

Wellington Injuries & Team News

Wellington rested players this past weekend and I expect them to be close to full strength for this encounter.

Verdict

Otago v Wellington

Wellington have won five in a row at the start of the season, and I am backing them to cover the -7 handicap to go 6/0.

Wellington -7

Handicap

@10/11 - 5 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

Bet at bet365