Last week we were let down by the West Coast Eagles not covering the line against the Kangaroos in the AFL and having not had a payout in the last two weeks I have undertaken some extra study to see if we can’t find a winning multi for this weekend.

Once again there is a plethora of sport to get through this weekend with not only all three winter codes in action but the Tour de France, the ANZ Championship, Major League Baseball and the Goldfields Open in Snooker all worthy of attention.

The multi this week has a decidedly Super 15 focus.  This is for no other reason than Super 15 is the sport that I spend most time considering given my weekly preview of Super 15 action published every Thursday on pinkrugby.com.

We kick off the multi with the first match of the Super 15 round from Wellington.  The competition leading Chiefs visit the Hurricanes in this fixture that could see the end of the Hurricanes chances to make the finals.  The Chiefs have been the form team all season and rightly are the current favourites for the title.  The Hurricanes enter this fixture off the back of the bye and have everything to lose.  Ultimately I think the Chiefs will be too classy for the Hurricanes and will cover the line here.

Leg 1: Chiefs to cover the line against the Hurricanes (-3.5) at $1.92

The MLB All Star break has now passed and attention turns to the run to the October classic.  I know we were burned by an MLB bet two weeks again but I think there is some value to be had with the Miami Marlins taking on the Washington Nationals on Saturday morning Australian time.  The Nationals have been one of the surprise packets of the first half, going 49-34 to lead the NL East, and send Jordan Zimmerman to the mound here with a 5-6 record that is not reflective of his excellent 2.61 ERA.  Josh Johnson is pitching here for the Marlins at home and even he would be disappointed with his season so far having gone 5-5 with a 4.06 ERA after probably being seen as the Marlins’ ace at the start of the year.  This is the Marlins best chance to get a game back on their fellow NL East combatants and in front of their home crowd I expect them to squeeze over the line here.  This is the ESPN game on Saturday for those of you with nothing else to do: could be worth a look.

Leg 2: Marlins to defeat the Nationals at $1.78

The Brumbies host the Blues in the next leg of our multi at Canberra Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  The Brumbies have been the pick of the Australian teams in the competition this year and rightly lead the Australian conference.  The Blues have had a season that I have described as their annus horribilis.  I can not see them winning this game and I think the Brumbies will cover the line here.

Leg 3: Brumbies to cover the line against the Blues (-6.5) at $1.92

In NRL action, there are a number of interesting games this week and I think there is some value to be had in the Melbourne Storm’s fixture against the North Queensland Cowboys.  The Storm return their captain to a team that were soundly defeated by the Canberra Raiders last week.  The Cowboys are flying higher than they have for a while and that man J Thurston is leading them like a man possessed.  Ultimately the Storm will be smarting after being belted last week and I think they will come out and put a score on the Cowboys in this one. 

Leg 4: Storm to cover the line against the Cowboys (-6.5) at $1.94

The final Super 15 leg of the multi comes from Lang Park where the Reds host the Waratahs.  The Tahs have lost seven in a row and whilst they have been close to winning a few times they are playing like a team that has forgetten how to win.  The Reds need to win this game to remain in the running for the finals.  They must win and must win well.  That said, I have been worried about the Reds inability to score points all year and whilst I think they will win I am not sure that they will win by many and thus I am including the Reds in the multi straight out. 

Leg 5: Reds to defeat the Waratahs at $1.30

The final leg of the multi comes from Canberra Stadium where the Raiders take on the Titans.  The Raiders will be on a high after defeating the title favourite Storm last week.  The Titans are not the best travellers going around and may struggle with the cold on a chilly day in Canberra.  I think the Raiders have a look about them that is akin to their 2010 finals run and I am tipping them straight out to bring the multi home this week.

Leg 6: Raiders to defeat the Cowboys at $1.53

All up this multi will return to punters a healthy $25.32 for each dollar invested.  Good luck and good punting on the weekend. 

As always: punt responsibly.

Shumpty