Wasps v Exeter, Saturday 27th May 2.30pm
The top two teams in the season long league table meet in the Aviva Premiership final this weekend after narrow victories in the semi-finals.
Wasps came from behind to beat Leicester 21-20 while Exeter scored a try with the last play of the game to record a famous victory over defending champions Saracens 18-16.
The last time Wasps played Exeter it was a 35-35 thriller, five tries apiece and Saturday promises to be close and probably high scoring too given the firepower on offer in both sides.
The two sides have slightly different approaches. Exeter are big up front, roll through the phases and build up pressure. Wasps are more care-free and can strike from distance. A major challenge for them on Saturday will be to obtain parity in the forwards to be able to have good ball to launch their many play-makers behind the scrum.
Whether Wasps have the maturity as a team to confirm their table-topping by winning the final is open to question. Hitherto, and despite the presence of so many experienced players, Wasps have shown immaturity at crucial times. As a team, they have not gone through the same experience as Exeter in learning from a final loss as their opponents did last season. Exeter have matured since and are a more rounded team now.
Wasps committed 12 unforced errors in the second half of the semi-final alone and will need to be much more accurate in the final. For Exeter, few teams have managed to close down Wasps this season, top try-scorers in the regular season and with threats all over the field. The fitness of Kurtley Beale the Wallaby full-back, in sensational form of late for Wasps, hobbled off with a hamstring problem last week
Prices for the game are Wasps 4/5 Exeter11/10 with Bet365, and a virtual pick-em on the handicap line, Wasps are one point favourites.
I think the prices in our green listed bookmakers like Ladbrokes have the odds for the teams the wrong way round here. Exeter at 11/10 is my selection.
Calculators
