Ospreys vs Sharks Preview & Tips - Hosts tipped for comfortable win against struggling Sharks

By Ralph Staniforth

Ralph is a passoniate sports journalist and coach based in Cape Town.

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Ospreys vs Sharks predictions for Friday’s United Rugby Championship fixture
Match is being played at 19:35 BST at the Liberty Stadium
Can Ospreys keep winning run going at home against winless Sharks?
Preview, tips, stats & team news

Ospreys backed in handicap market (Getty Images)

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Ospreys vs Sharks Preview & Tips

The Ospreys have started their season well and will be confident of seeing off the Sharks. It should be tight for the opening 60 odd minutes but Ospreys quality should see them cover the -11 handicap.

Ospreys vs Sharks Preview & Tips
Head to Head
Ospreys Form
Ospreys Team News
Sharks Form
Sharks Team News
Ospreys vs Sharks FAQ

Ospreys have won their last 2 matches.
Sharks have lost their last 2 matches.
Sharks have lost their last 2 matches by 11 and 25 points.

Head to Head

This is the first ever meeting between Ospreys and Sharks.

Ospreys Form

Ospreys have enjoyed a superb start to the United Rugby Championship. This after they have struggled somewhat for the last two seasons.

It has been two Welsh derbies thus far for the Ospreys. On the opening weekend they beat the Newport Dragons 27-23 before seeing off Cardiff Blues 18-14 at home.

Both matches were very tight affairs, and at various stages could have gone either way. Ospreys have however come up trumps in the big moments, particularly in the set pieces.

Ospreys Team News

Rhys Webb captains the side from scrumhalf while Gareth Anscombe retains the flyhalf position. Another international, Owen Watkin features outside Anscombe at inside centre.

Sharks Form

The Sharks have not had an ideal start to the United Rugby Championship. They have lost both of their opening matches, which was more or less expected given the amount of players they are missing to international duty.

Their clash against Munster in round one saw them go down 42-17 at Munster. Last week the Sharks lost 35-24 at Glasgow Warriors.

Munster were simply too good for the Sharks while Glasgow ran riot early on. After a slow start the Sharks pulled things back against Glasgow but they were already 21 points down which made the comeback difficult.

Sharks Team News

Sean Everitt has made a number of changes to his side. The most noticeable one is the omission of Curwin Bosch at fullback. Anthony Volmink takes his position.

Fezokuhle Mbatha and Yaw Penxe are missing through injury.

Ospreys vs Sharks FAQ

Where can I watch Ospreys vs Sharks live stream?

Check our live streaming calendar to see where to watch Ospreys vs Sharks live stream.

Verdict

Ospreys v Sharks

The Ospreys have won their opening two fixtures while the Sharks have lost theirs. I am backing the hosts to cover the -11 handicap in this one.

Ospreys -11 Handicap

Handicap

@9/10 - 3 Units

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