Pau vs Bulls Predictions - Pau to send the Bulls packing in the Investec Champions Cup

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 1 hour ago

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Brad Newcomb 1 hour ago

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Pau has won 9 of their last 10 home matches.
Bulls have lost 7 consecutive fixtures.
Pau are favoured to cover the -10.5 handicap.

Pau have been in excellent form at home this season (Getty Images)

Pau registered their first win in the European Rugby Champions Cup last weekend, and they have been in great touch at home this season. The Bulls are in a slump and have yet to win in the competition.

Pau have won 3 of their last 4 fixtures in all competitions.
Pau have won 9 of their last 10 home games in all competitions.
Bulls have lost 7 consecutive fixtures in all competitions.
Bulls have lost 4 consecutive away matches in all competitions.

Head to Head

Pau and the Bulls meet for the first time in a competitive match.

Pau Form

Pau produced a solid first half against Scarlets in the Investec Champions Cup last weekend, scoring 26 points to lead by 11 at the break, adding 19 points in the second half to win 47-38 away from home.

Pau lost 35-27 to the Northampton Saints at home and were thrashed 61-12 by Bristol away from home earlier in the competition.

Pau have won all their home fixtures in the Top 14 matches this season. They defeated Stade Francais 34-10, Lyon 40-15, Bayonne 47-24, Toulouse 30-26, Perpignan 27-23, La Rochelle 53-33, and Montpellier 35-33.

Pau are 4th in Pool 4 of the Investec Champions Cup with five points from three matches.

Pau have been in excellent form at home this season, often winning, which gives them the advantage over a Bulls side that has found the going tough in the competition so far.

Bulls Form

The Bulls fell short in a high-scoring match against the Bristol Bears in the European Rugby Champions Cup clash last weekend, losing 61-49 at home.

The Bulls lost 46-33 to Bordeaux at home and 50-5 to the Northampton Saints away in their opening matches in the competition.

The Bulls' away fixtures in the URC have yielded poor results this season. They lost 28-7 to Ulster and defeated Connacht 28-27 before losing 21-12 to the Glasgow Warriors, 21-12 to the Sharks, and 13-8 to the Stormers.

The Bulls are 6th in Pool 4 of the Investec Champions Cup with two points from three games.

The Bulls have lost seven consecutive fixtures, including four in a row on the road, which is not ideal form to have when taking on a Pau side that has won nine of their last ten home matches.

Team News

Pau

Toshi Butlin and Gregoire Arfeuil have scored two tries each in this edition of the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Axel Desperes has slotted nine conversions and two penalties in the competition so far.

Bulls

Head coach Johan Ackermann has stated that his senior players have been exhibiting a trend lately: “No player goes out to make a mistake, and obviously there is a bit more expectation on your senior players.

“But is it because they are playing harder and almost want to do stuff by themselves? I’m not sure. The reality is we are playing a lot of rugby against ourselves by the kind of mistakes we make.”

Bulls squad for their next two matches overseas:

Forwards: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Alulutho Tshakweni, Sti Sithole. Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar, Akker van der Merwe, Wilco Louw, Mornay Smith, Francois Klopper, Cobus Wiese, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortjé, Reinhardt Ludwig, Marco van Staden, Marcell Coetzee, Elrigh Louw, Mpilo Gumede, Jeandré Rudolph, Nizaam Carr.

Backs: Embrose Papier, Zak Burger, Handré Pollard, Keagan Johannes, Harold Vorster, David Kriel, Canan Moodie, Stedman Gans, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Stravino Jacobs, Cheswill Jooste, Willie le Roux, Devon Williams

Verdict

Pau v Bulls

Pau have been in top form at home this season and are tipped to cover the -10.5 handicap in their European Rugby Champions Cup match against the Bulls.

Pau -10.5

Handicap

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