Weekly Articles "Road to Riches" by Rich 'Tighty' Prew
The Road to Riches: Weekend of 21st-22nd August
Coming up this weekend
- Horse Racing, On the flat at Chester, Sandown and York. On the all-weather at Chelmsford, Lingfield and Wolverhampton and over the jumps at Newton Abbot.
- Football, the Premier League matches include Arsenal v Chelsea
- Rugby Union, the Rugby Championship continues, Argentina v South Africa
- Cricket, the second Test match between England and India at Lords and the new Hundred Competition continues
- Golf, the BMW Championship in Baltimore on the USPGA Tour and on the European Tour the European Championship at Crans-Sur-Sierre.
- Tennis, The ATP Winston Salem Open ahead of the US Open
NFL 2021 Regular season
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Free tip
Argentina v South Africa, Rugby Championship, Port Elizabeth 4.05pm Saturday
At the same venue last weekend South Africa beat Argentina 32-12. Despite fielding a semi-second string side with ten changes from the 3rd Lions test, the hosts had an advantage for that game with three Lions Tests in the weeks preceding the Rugby Championship to tune them up.
Last week South Africa showed their usual defensive proficiency, having conceded only two tries in five Tests since the 2019 World Cup, but struggled for cohesion on attack at times. Argentina have only been together in South Africa for just a week and showed plenty of willingness to attack but lacked the sharpness to execute against the well-organised hosts. We should expect them to be sharper and fitter this week, though of course no matter the ambition getting the better of the South Africa defence is a tough task
South Africa have rotated again for this week and look much stronger, while Etzebeth is rested most of the regulars from the Lions series are back in a team with eleven changes from last week.
The handicap has come in, reflecting Argentina’s likely improvement, to South Africa -12. That looks skinny given the much stronger South Africa line up.
11 points South Africa -12 points at 10/11 generally
Missed Opportunities
The British Lions, in the aftermath of the 2-1 series defeat in South Africa, will be rueing a missed opportunity. In the third test the Lions and the possession and territory stats reflected that, especially in the first half when they dominated. That looked much closer to the best team / match day squad. Russell sparked the attack and some of the off-loading in the forwards was excellent. The injury to Wyn Jones was pivotal, the starting front row seemed to have the better of it and that had taken a keystone away from the hosts which then reversed in South African dominance up front in the second half.
South Africa showed remarkable fighting spirit over the series overcoming great adversity. That said it felt like rugby was a loser. The series was marred by shenanigans off the field and unattractive rugby on the field.
The Springboks knew in the first test that they were blowing after 50-60 minutes and couldn't go the full 80, and were soundly beaten because of that lack of match fitness after 18 months of COVID related inactivty. Rassie Erasmus then releases a 60-minute video mulling over some calls and placing doubt in the minds of the officials before the 2nd test begins. The 1st half of the 2nd test takes 60 minutes because, in part, the refs and TMO are taking longer than they otherwise would to check some decisions to make sure they're correct. This gives South Africa time to catch their breath and allows them to play later into the match. It's had an effect in both the 2nd and 3rd tests, where there were repeated stoppages.
Over and above this it was, with hindsight, optimistic to expect to beat South Africa physically over three tests . Yet that is exactly what Warren Gatland did, with conservative selections and attritional tactics which was reflected in the teams he selected. Look at the difference Finn Russell made & the only reason he played for 65 odd mins was because Dan Biggar was injured. Perhaps we should ask why the best players from four countries who had eight weeks together couldn't beat South Africa without three of their best players.
The Six Nations and the tail-end of the club season were magnificent and this series was a regression to the more defensive rugby of last Autumn (in fact it was worse). I don’t think the future of rugby will look like this and the 2021 Rugby Championship ans Autumn Internationals should provide much more excitement and enjoyment. Roll on attacking game plans, innovation, offloading, and tries by backs, please!
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Betting Emporium results
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If you bet £10 per point on every recommended bet since launch you would be winning + £42,703.40 All bets have an ROI +2.39%
A £4000 bank betting £10 a point on all selections would now be worth £46,703.40 a 1068% increase
The Road to Riches: Weekend of 14-15th August
Coming up this weekend
- Horse Racing, On the flat at Bath, Doncaster, Newbury, Newmarket and Ripon and over the jumps at Market Rasen and Perth.
- Football, the start of the Premier League season including Tottenham v Manchester City and Manchester United v Leeds United
- Rugby Union, the Rugby Championship begins, New Zealand v Australia and South Africa v Argentina
- Cricket, the second Test match between England and India at Lords and the new Hundred Competition continues
- Golf, the Northern Trust championship on the USPGA Tour and on the European Tour the Czech Masters.
- Tennis, The ATP Winston Salem Open ahead of the US Open
York Ebor Festival - Full Package (18th - 21st August 2021)
Get Neil’s race by race coverage of the festival for £99 here
Free tip
New Zealand v Australia, Rugby Championship, Eden Park Auckland 7.55am Saturday
The 2021 Rugby Championship starts this weekend. The Springboks return to the tournament after a year out in 2020 due to South African government travel restrictions and player welfare and safety concerns related to COVID.
Most of the tournament will be staged in Australasia with South Africa also hosting two games - their two matches against Argentina in the opening two rounds
In the first Bledisloe Cup game at the same venue last weekend, not part of this Championship, New Zealand began as 22 point favourites against Australia and won 33-25 having led 33-8 before easing off in the last 15 minutes. Australia have not won at Eden Park since 1986 and of course are big underdogs again this weekend
In the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition, the five New Zealand sides finished in the top half of the table, while the five Australian teams occupied the bottom half. Between them, the Australian teams managed to win just two of 25 regular season games. However the Wallabies will enter this year’s Championship with a degree of confidence after their 2-1 series victory over France on home soil. Now they are up against a full-strength All Blacks at the Kiwis’ most intimidating stadium, a significant step-up.
Australia dominated France in the set-pieces, but the challenge will be much greater again with the All Blacks. Last Saturday Australia were never outplayed but lacked execution at crucial times. Once again they failed to find combinations in the backline, they did not take advantage of almost double the number of penalties awarded in their favour, and Lolesio kicking 2 out of 7 penalties/conversions was a significant handicap.
The Australian backs must improve markedly. Against France, they were disjointed and lacked communication and if they make as many fundamental errors as they did against France, the All Blacks will cut them to pieces on counter-attack.
For this match New Zealand are 21 to 22 point favourites again
20 points Australia +21 points on the handicap at Evens Bet365 and Skybet
Bubbling
The ECB and the Professional Cricketers’ Association have reaffirmed their commitment to “putting player and staff welfare as the main priority” ahead of this winter’s Ashes tour.
It was reported earlier this month that some England players were considering pulling out of the winter series in Australia should their families be unable to travel.
With the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman taking place before the five Test matches, England’s players and staff face the possibility of spending four months away from home in secure bubbles, the mental health impact of which has already been felt in the last 18 months.
The first Ashes Test in Brisbane is due to begin on December 8, though England’s multiformat players would be abroad from mid-September ahead of the T20 World Cup.
A joint statement between the ECB and the PCA explained: “This week, several meetings have been held between the England Men’s players, ECB and Team England Player Partnership to discuss provisional plans for the tour of Australia later in the year.
“All parties are collaborating and will continue to work together to understand protocols around bubble environments, family provision and quarantine rules that will be in place for the tour during the current Covid-19 pandemic.
“With player and management’s welfare paramount, the ECB will discuss planning and operational requirements with Cricket Australia in the coming weeks and how they seek to implement their policies in partnership with state and federal governments.
“All stakeholders are committed to putting player and staff welfare as the main priority and finding the right solutions that enables the England team to compete with the best players and at the highest possible standard that the Ashes series deserves.”
Parts of Australia – which has some of the world’s strictest Covid protocols – are currently in lockdown, with different states having their own regulations. In the past, England’s players have been joined by family over the Christmas and New Year period.
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Betting Emporium results
The detailed results page has been updated as have the spreadsheets with the detailed bets. They can be found by clicking RESULTS
If you bet £10 per point on every recommended bet since launch you would be winning + £42,703.40 All bets have an ROI +2.39%
A £4000 bank betting £10 a point on all selections would now be worth £46,703.40 a 1068% increase
The Road to Riches: Weekend of 7th-8th August
Coming up this weekend
- Horse Racing, On the flat at Ascot, Ayr, Chelmsford City, Haydock, Lingfield, Newmarket and Redcar.
- Football, the Charity Shield between Manchester City and Leicester City
- Rugby Union, the third test South Africa v the British Lions in Cape Town
- Cricket, the first Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge and the new Hundred Competition continues
- Golf, the Wyndham Championship on the USPGA Tour and on the European Tour the Cazoo Classic at the London GC.
- Tennis, The ATP Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati
York Ebor Festival - Full Package (18th - 21st August 2021)
Get Neil’s race by race coverage of the festival for £99 here
Free tip
South Africa v British Lions Third Test 5pm Saturday, Cape Town
After South Africa’s 27-9 victory in the second Test last weekend, the decider on Saturday
South Africa dominated the second test, particularly in the aerial battle and set piece and with a very effective use of the bench. It wasn’t a great spectacle but hard nosed test rugby slowing the game down, scrummaging and mauling, then kicking for territory and to regain the ball and they demolished the visitors in the second half.
The Lions lacked much creativity, indeed especially in midfield that has long looked a weakness and it is understandable to see changes for the final test in midfield and the back three amongst six overall changes. With South Africa now up to speed, competing with them and matching them for power up front is a tough ask too. There is method to Gatland’s selection: wear the Springboks out and inject tempo in one last second-half push with the likes of Finn Russell on the bench.
It’s not a surprise of course, after a recent 18 point victory, to see (finally!) South Africa installed as favourites here having been underdogs for the first two tests. The absence of Faf De Klerk at scrum half is a blow and replacing Du Toit with a lock playing 6 is another sign that the game plan is brawn and strength.
I expect South Africa to win in a tight one. With the outright value having substantially disappeared I turn to the winning margin market
12 points South Africa to win by 1-12 points at 8/5 Betfred and Paddy Power ,13/8 Betfair Sportsbook
Persuasion
The NFL plans to operate as normal as possible for the upcoming 2021 season and told teams they would forfeit games and lose money if COVID outbreaks occur due to unvaccinated players.
The NFL doesn’t plan to reschedule games as it did during the 2020 season due to outbreaks. Most of the teams have vaccinated 100% of their top staff and set up protocols for staff who aren’t vaccinated. In addition, the league said more than 75% of “players are in the process of being vaccinated, and more than half the clubs have vaccination rates greater than 80% of their players.”
If games are moved or cancelled due to unvaccinated individuals, teams and players could also face financial penalties.
For players, guaranteed money in contracts can become unguaranteed, and they could be fined under conduct detrimental language. The NFL players union warned its players of the league’s stance on postponing games, urging unvaccinated players to seek vaccination and avoid contract issues via conduct detrimental.
On the team front the club experiencing the outbreak will be responsible for all additional expenses incurred by the opposing team and will also be required to pay any shortfall between actual and expected payment to the visiting team’s share pool. In addition, clubs that suffer forfeits will have losses attached to their record, threatening postseason chances.
The NFL said “In light of the substantial roster flexibility in place for the 2021 season, absent medical considerations or government directives, games will not be postponed or rescheduled simply to avoid roster issues caused by injury or illness affecting multiple players, even within a position group”.
The league’s hard stance on postponing games will also protect network partners who just agreed to a $100bn media deal. NFL rescheduled several games last season due to COVID outbreaks
With training camps in full swing, it could be that a players’ vaccination status will now affect whether they make season rosters or not, which is the aim of the NFL, to add persuasion to players to vaccinate.
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Betting Emporium results
The detailed results page has been updated as have the spreadsheets with the detailed bets. They can be found by clicking RESULTS
If you bet £10 per point on every recommended bet since launch you would be winning + £42,703.40 All bets have an ROI +2.39%
A £4000 bank betting £10 a point on all selections would now be worth £46,703.40 a 1068% increase
The Road to Riches: Weekend of 31st July – 1st August
Coming up this weekend
- Horse Racing, On the flat at Chelsmford City, Doncaster, Goodwood, Hamilton, Lingfield, Newmarket and Thirsk.
- The Olympics in Tokyo continues
- Rugby Union, the second test South Africa v the British Lions in Cape Town
- Cricket, the new Hundred Competition continues
- Formula One, the Hungarian Grand Prix
- Golf, the Barracuda Championship on the USPGA Tour and on the European Tour the Hero Open at St Andrews.
- Tennis, The ATP Citi Open in Washington DC
Free tip
South Africa v British Lions Second Test 5pm Saturday, Cape Town
In the first Test last weekend South Africa led 12-3 at half time and looked comfortable. The second half was a completely different matter as the hosts lack of condition after their long periods of inaction told, and the Lions bench proved decisive. Whilst South Africa probably didn’t have the best of the referee’s decisions, the Lions really improved in the second half, with greater intensity and much better discipline denying Pollard the opportunity to keep Sotuh Africa’s points total ticking over, to win 22-17 and held on comfortably at the end.
The Lions maintain some advantages for this weekend, with no travel now to Johannesburg and altitude and again no home crowd giving this as much as possible the characteristics of a neutral venue. They’ve made three changes to the starting line-up - Vunipola for Sutherland, Murray for Price, Harris for Daly with Faletau on to bench. A team set up to control the game in set piece, defence and the aerial contest.
Of course everyone expects South Africa to be much more on the pace for longer, indeed for the whole of the game. As the fantastic Maro Itoje said after the first test "The Springboks.... we know they are coming." They have also made two changes, two in the front row. Jasper Wiese, Steven Kitshoff, and Frans Malherbe come into the starting XV. Ox Nché is out injured.
I expected South Africa to win last weekend despite any rustiness and at the prices, South Africa odds against again and in the unaccustomed position of being underdogs, I expect them to win this weekend too.
20 points South Africa to beat the Lions in the second test at 11/10 generally
Tensions
Having come so close, it feels remarkable it has taken so long for a model that is accepted elsewhere – cricket’s IPL, rugby union’s Super Rugby, all major US sports – to become a serious possibility in English football. While the threat of a breakaway by the elite has clearly lost a lot of its power the conditions that provoked the attempted coup have not gone away.
There remains a group of super-clubs divided into two factions: those whose wealth is derived predominantly from football and those who might be termed the petroclubs, whose external resources mean they can ride out a couple of disappointing years on the pitch. A super league feels the natural consequence of neoliberal economics that looks at football purely as a generator of revenue and ignores its social function.
Football’s thrall to capitalism means there is a perceived need for constant expansion. There always has to be more money and more games, even as managers and players protest for fewer of the latter.
There are slightly different motives behind the expansion of the World Cup and other international tournaments, the Club World Cup and UEFA’s adoption of new for the Champions League group stages from 2024, but they all come down to more games and more content.
The expansionist urge means forever searching for new customers, which in football has come to mean the “global fan but the Premier League is a global league already with potential Super League teams already having huge overseas fanbases
Match-going fans are no longer the primary source of revenue. That requires an adjustment and represents one of the key tensions of globalisation. The budgeting of the Super League pre-supposes an army of new fans to join the “legacy fans”. Football is already hugely popular yet the plan is to risk alienating large sections of the enormous audience that already exists to chase imagined new consumers?
How that dynamic plays out will determine how football looks in a decade.
StattoBets Dave Monthly Subscription
Stattobets write ups, analysis and bets are available to monthly subscribers.
Monthly subs are £50 a month and can be cancelled at any time. You can sign up here.
Betting Emporium results
The detailed results page has been updated as have the spreadsheets with the detailed bets. They can be found by clicking RESULTS
If you bet £10 per point on every recommended bet since launch you would be winning + £42,703.40 All bets have an ROI +2.39%
A £4000 bank betting £10 a point on all selections would now be worth £46,703.40 a 1068% increase
The Road to Riches: Weekend of 24th-25th July
Coming up this weekend
- Horse Racing, On the flat at Ascot, Chester, Lingfield, Newcastle, Newmarket, Salisbury and York
- The Olympics in Tokyo
- Rugby Union, the first test South Africa v the British Lions in Cape Town
- Cricket, the new Hundred Competition continues
- Golf, the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
- Tennis, ATP Opens in Atlanta and Kitzbuehel
Qatar Goodwood Festival (Full package) - Tue 27th July - Sat 31st July 2021 by Neil Channing
Coverage of every race over the five days of Glorious Goodwood, cost £150 here
Free tip
South Africa v British Lions 5pm Saturday, Cape Town
The first Test in this three-test series this Saturday. South Africa were convincing world champions in 2019. This of course is an unusual series, with South Africa hard hit by COVID which has hugely affected the home team’s preparations for the series. The national side has had one game in twenty months, three weeks ago, with parts of the squad having two matches under the “South Africa A” banner in the last fortnight.
So we may consider that this could be the Lions best chance in the series as we ponder how undercooked the first choice XV will be for this game.
How long can those players last? Can their replacements step in seamlessly to cover this weakness? Lack of preparation time makes a departure from their traditional physical game unlikely for the Springboks who were unmatched in terms of forward power and defense in 2018-19 with the x-factor of Cheslin Kolbe’s finishing on the wing to add.
This is a strong Lions squad in most areas, lacking some class in midfield, but should be underdogs for this game even without a crowd which has been seen across sports to reduce home advantage. Even if the Lions gain parity in scrum and line out it will be a big ask to win, although its likely to be close, anything beyond a one score winning margin would be a surprise.
I am genuinely surprised to see the Lions odds on favourites. South Africa are very backable at odds against or for a bit more juice by 1-12 points at 2/1 with Betfred, for example.
20 points South Africa to beat the Lions in the first test at 21/20 Bet365 and William Hill
Olympians
The Olympic Games in Japan starts this weekend and will be held without spectators at venues in and around the capital after a spike in COVID infections. A state of emergency in Tokyo will run throughout the Games.
Venues in Tokyo and other nearby areas will not be allowed to hold events with fans during the Games but stadiums in the regions of Fukushima, Miyagi and Shizuoka will be permitted to have spectators up to 50% of capacity and up to 10,000 people.
There were widespread opposition to the Games in Japan, with calls for them to be postponed or cancelled and the organisers have experienced setbacks, including massive budget overruns..
A new wave of infections began in April, but overall the country has had relatively low case numbers and a death toll of around 15,000. 2,180 daily new cases were reported in the country on average last week. 920 of those were in Tokyo, up from 714 last week and its highest since 1,010 on 13 May.
Japan's vaccination rollout has been slow, and just over 15% of the country is fully vaccinated. There is rising concern over the threat of the Delta variant. Entry into Japan is currently prohibited for natrionals of 159 countries.
Public spectator sites have been scrapped and companies have been hesitant about advertising related to the Olympics because of the widespread opposition to them.
StattoBets Dave Monthly Subscription
Stattobets write ups, analysis and bets are available to monthly subscribers.
Monthly subs are £50 a month and can be cancelled at any time. You can sign up here.
Betting Emporium results
The detailed results page has been updated as have the spreadsheets with the detailed bets. They can be found by clicking RESULTS
If you bet £10 per point on every recommended bet since launch you would be winning + £42,703.40 All bets have an ROI +2.39%
A £4000 bank betting £10 a point on all selections would now be worth £46,703.40 a 1068% increase
