At the onset of the Premiership Rugby season, the defending champion Exeter Chiefs were favored to repeat. And it appears that was a good Rugby betting choice as Exeter remains the top choice for the title. Exeter is “new money” when it comes to Premiership Rugby success. Although they were founded 150 years ago, they have only two championships. The first one was in 2016-17. Premiership Rugby offers weekly wagering action on every team in the league. The season began in November and will run into late June. Normally action starts in September, but the pandemic forced a delay.
2021 Gallagher Premiership Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Exeter Chiefs | 5/6 |
| Bristol Bear | 2/1 |
| Sale Sharks | 6/1 |
| Harlequins | 8/1 |
| All Other Teams | 100/1 or greater |
Exeter Chiefs
At the beginning, the Exeter Chiefs stormed to a strong start of 14 wins and five losses with no draws. Exeter enjoyed a +193 points differential with 501 goals for and 308 goals against. Joe Simmonds is fifth in the Premiership for scoring with 118 points. Joe is the team captain. His brother Sam is 6th in the league with 95 points. Naturally, the Simmonds brothers are members of the England national team.
Director Rob Baxter formerly played for the Exeter Chiefs. He was a team captain. Since 2009 he’s been the director. Baxter led the club to its first championships.
Bristol Bears
Yet another dominant team in the Premiership is the Bristol Bears. Bristol opened with a sportsbook record of 15 wins, one draw, and three losses. They scored 523 points with 334 points against for a +189. Director Pat Lam has coached several teams in the league. Including Auckland and Connacht. Since 2017 he has led the Bears. Overall, the Bristol Bears have competed for 133 years. Lam is trying to lead Bristol to their first-ever title.
Namely, Ratu Naulago is in his first season with the Bears. The wing previously played for Hull FC. Naulago leads the team with seven tries. And then center and fullback Piers O’Conor joined the Bears for the 2018-19 campaign. O’Connor played for the England national team with 11 apps and five points. He began the season with six tries.
Sale Sharks
The last time Sale Sharks won a championship was 2005-06. And it’s the only time that they did so. Sale opened with a rugby odds record of 14 wins, no draws, and five losses. They had 451 points and 357 points against for a +94. Alex Sanderson is the Sale Sharks director. He was appointed in January of 2021. So too, did Sanderson formerly play for the Sharks. And was a member of the England national team.
Captain Jono Ross joined the Sale Sharks in 2017. Meanwhile, AJ MacGinty is second in the Premiership scoring 166 points. MacGinty joined the Sale Sharks in 2016 and has career numbers of 85 apps and 726 points. Since 2015 MacGinty has been a member of the United States national team.
Harlequins
To summarize, Harlequins opened with 11 wins, one draw, and seven losses. They accumulated 593 points and 460 points against a +133. First among Premiership scorers is Marcus Smith with 246 points. Smith is a former member of the England national team. He’s played his entire senior career with Harlequins. Specifically, Smith is a native of Manila, Philippines. And then captain Stephan Lewies has been on the club since 2019.