Zebre vs Bulls Predictions - Hosts backed to get within handicap against Bulls

Marc Thomas

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Last updated: 03 Nov 2023

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Marc Thomas 03 Nov 2023

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Zebre vs Bulls predictions for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship fixture (15:00 SAST)
Zebre have lost their last 2 games by 7 or less
Can the Bulls bounce back from defeat?

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Zebre set to cover handicap at home (Getty Images)

Zebre vs Bulls Preview

Zebre performed well in the opening two weeks despite losing on both occasions. While I expect the Bulls to take the points, I am backing the hosts to cover the +14 handicap.

Zebre vs Bulls Preview
Head to Head
Zebre Form
Zebre Injuries & Team News
Bulls Form
Bulls Injuries & Team News

Zebre have lost their last 2 matches.
Zebre have lost their last 2 matches by 7 points or less.
Bulls have made the playoffs in the last 2 seasons.
Bulls beat Zebre by 66 points in their last encounter.

Head to Head

Last season the Bulls hammered Zebre 78-12 at home.

Zebre Form

Zebre are historically the weakest team in the URC and consistently finishes bottom of the table. They have been quite impressive at the start of this season despite losing their opening two fixtures.

In the opening round Zebre lost a cracking game at home 40-36 to Ulster before going down 34-31 at Ospreys last weekend. In the latter game, they held a good halftime lead but failed to capitilise in the second stanza.

While it has been two narrow defeats in which Zebre has picked up four bonus points (two in each game), there is some context to that. The opposition sides have not had their international players available for these games.

Zebre Injuries & Team News

Zebre will look to rotate a bit in the third week but most of the core should remain the same.

Bulls Form

The Bulls have made the playoffs in their first two seasons of the URC and will expect much the same this time around. In fact, they finished as runners-up in their first season while last season they lost out in the quarter-final.

In round one the Bulls thrashed Scarlets 63-21 on home soil to pick up a bonus point victory. However, last week the Bulls fell short against Ulster away, losing 26-19. The losing bonus point is always crucial away from home though.