New Zealand v British and Irish Lions Tips and Betting Offers, Saturday 24th June 2017, Eden Park
The magnificent Eden Park in Auckland will see the first Test match between the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand of this year’s tour. Lions matches are always exciting affairs but there is a real sense of anticipation ahead of this one as they try to get the better of the best team in the world in their own back yard
Betting Offers and Free Bets
Offers and enhanced odds will be detailed here as they are released. Take a look at all of the best free bets we offer in the meantime.
British and Irish Lions Betting Tips
- New Zealand at -11 at evens (Betfair £100 free bet)
- Rieko Ioane to score the first try of the game at 10/1 with Betfair
Preview
Warren Gatland has certainly sprung a few surprises for this massive occasion and for the first time since the pre-war period, the Test captain will not start the first test of the tour. That’s because Sam Warburton has been unable to force himself back into the starting XV which means Peter O’Mahony completes his remarkable rise and will lead the side out on Saturday. The Irishman has only captained his country three times and only forced his way into the touring squad following a man of the match performance against England in the Six Nations.
One of Gatland’s other Welsh picks misses out after George North failed to impress in any of the warm up matches meaning Wasps winder Elliot Daly will get the nod after he impressed against the Chiefs. However, Maro Itoje misses out despite impressing against the Maori All Blacks as Alun Wyn Jones comes in. Also back in the starting line up is Owen Farrell who will line up at fly half having missed a few matches due to injury.
Betting Verdict
Despite having had plenty of time on this tour to get to know each other, we still think that the Lions are going to find this match too much of a step up. New Zealand are ranked as the number one Test playing nation for a reason and we expect them to prove it this weekend. The majority of the warm up matches for the Lions have failed to see them really impress and they could be out of their depth when they run out at Auckland on Saturday. We expect New Zealand to cruise to victory in the first clash and given the way they destroyed Samoa the other weekend, it could be by a big margin.
The All Blacks have sprung selection surprises of themselves and one name to watch out for is Rieko Ioane who will start on the wing. He has already played for the Maoris and his club side against the Lions during the tour so will know exactly what to expect. Given he is stepping in for Julian Savea, he has big boots to fill, but we’re backing the 20 year old to step up to the plate.
If you prefer the round ball game, take a look at our football World Cup preview!