Blues vs Highlanders Betting Tips – Blues to beat the handicap

The Blues entertain the Highlanders at Eden Park in Super Rugby Aotearoa on Saturday. The homes side have a 100% record in the competition after two rounds and look great value to beat the handicap.

The Blues surprised many with their fine form during the now-voided 2020 Super Rugby campaign. Their last three fixtures of Super Rugby ended in wins – first the Blues downed the Stormers at Newlands 33-14 before seeing off the Hurricanes 24-15 in Wellington.

In their last match before the campaign was voided, the Blues destroyed the Lions 43-10 at home. That form has been carried over into Super Rugby Aotearoa, with a 30-20 win over the Hurricanes at home and a 24-12 victory in Hamilton over the Chiefs.

The Blues do not have any serious injuries to contend with this weekend. Otere Black was performed well at fly-half but Beauden Barrett will surely look to slot into his favoured position sooner rather than later.

The Highlanders' Super Rugby campaign was uninspiring before it was voided. With just one victory in five fixtures, the Otago-based side were defeated in their last two matches before the break - 28-22 against the Rebels and 38-13 to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Before Super Rugby Aotearoa kicked off, the Highlanders were tipped to maintain their poor form and finish last. However, the Highlanders surprised us all in the opening round in Dunedin with a last-gasp 28-27 win over the Chiefs.

The Highlanders had a bye last week and have reported no injury concerns. They are likely to stick with the winning combinations from their last outing.

The Highlanders have a 7-3 advantage over the Blues in their last 10 Super Rugby encounters. The last meeting between the sides was in the 2019 Super Rugby season. The Highlanders came out on top with a 24-12 win in Dunedin.

The Blues are ranked as favourites and are available at 1.25 to win the match, while the Highlanders are priced at 4.00. A draw pays 26.00.

The handicap is set at 10 points and pays 1.90 both ways.

The Blues showed they are human last week with some poor defensive work, but they are likely to have ironed out those issues in training this week. The two teams may look to assert dominance through set pieces, so the match may not be as free flowing as fans would like it to be.