The 2022 Major League Rugby regular season wraps up this weekend and the LA Giltinis are headed to the playoffs to try and defend last year’s championship. It’s an important game for LA as they are tied with the Austin Elite at 11-4 atop the Western Conference and split the regular season series.
The Seattle Seawolves will miss the postseason at 8-7. The Seawolves won the Final in 2018 and 2019, but are now in a playoff drought after the COVID cancellations in 2020 and just a 4-12 season a year ago. The Seawolves are also 0-2 all time against LA.
Last Game Records
LA is on a two game win streak following their 31-27 loss to the San Diego Legion. Last weekend the Giltinis had a harder time than expected in a 39-32 win over Utah, as the Warriors are just 4-11 on the season.
Seattle has alternated wins and losses over their last five games, which means they are due for a defeat after toppling Houston 43-36 last weekend. That’s a good victory against a team headed to the playoffs, so maybe the Seawolves are an upset favorite in rugby betting predictions for Sunday?
Giltinis vs Seawolves Betting Analysis
Seattle was 4-3 when these two teams met in March with LA also getting off to a slow start at 3-3. Seattle was a -137 favorite in that contest as oddsmakers didn’t know what to expect from either team and the Seawolves were at home but LA ended up getting the win to cash as +110 underdogs.
LA has had a pretty impressive run against Seattle in their two years in the MRL. The 31-12 win back in March followed a 29-14 victory in the two teams’ only meeting in 2021.
Both squads have gone in different directions since their previous meeting. The Giltinis are 7-1 to put themselves in position for the #1 seed and a first round bye in the Western Conference while Seattle has failed to put any consistent momentum forward with a 4-3 record since the last matchup. The Giltinis will be decent rugby betting odds favorites for this regular season finale.
Giltinis Try for the Bye
LA is in a must win situation as both they and Austin are tied at 11-4. The season series was 1-1 but the Giltinis do have an advantage in points, 54-53. That being said, a loss by LA and a win by Austin would knock the Giltinis down to 2nd place.
Whoever finishes as the #1 seed in the West would have a bye next weekend and host the conference championship game which is a huge advantage. That’s why the Giltinis need to take care of business in this rugby betting matchup, as they don’t want to travel to Austin where the Gilgronis are 7-1 on the season.
One Last Blast for Seawolves
It’s been a disappointing couple seasons for the Seawolves who won the MLR Championship their first two years in existence. Even before the 2020 COVID cancellation the team started off 1-4, and 2021 was a disaster at 4-12. At least with this year’s 8-7 record the seems to be getting back in form a bit.
The Seawolves can end their season on a high note by knocking LA out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference, perhaps building momentum for Seattle heading into 2023.
Giltinis vs Seawolves Betting Preview
It’s all on the line for the Giltinis but sometimes that extra pressure can cause a team to play tight. Seattle on the other hand can play free in their season finale. That being said, LA has averaged a 17 point margin of victory in rugby betting picks in their two career meetings with the Seawolves.
Giltinis vs Seawolves Betting Prediction
LA has gone 6-1 at the Coliseum this season, suffering a surprising 28-19 loss to Utah back in March. The Giltinis have a lot to play for on Sunday and they should get the job done rather convincingly to lock up the #1 seed in the West and have a bye before the conference finals.
How to Bet on Giltinis vs Seawolves
Take LA to win
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