Sportguru Community Predicts Round 1 of the Guinness Premiership Submitted By: Our Rugby Club Thursday, 3 September 2009

SportGuru community predicts Round 1 of the Guinness Premiership Submitted by: Our Rugby Club Thursday, 3 September 2009

London - 4th Sept 2009 – Players of the Official Guinness Premiership Prediction Game (http://www.sportguru.co.uk/guinness), hosted by SportGuru (http://www.sportguru.co.uk/guinness/how_to_play.asp) are gearing up for the first fixtures of the season, and the average predictions of the entire community could offer an insight into the way the results will go. Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers will play in the tournament curtain-raiser at Edgeley Park on Friday night. Most pundits are backing the champions to retain their title this season, and a difficult away trip in Round 1 is not deterring 76% of SportGuru players, who are opting for an Away victory. The average overall prediction is Leicester to win by 5. The first match of the London Double Header at Twickenham on Saturday sees Saracens take on last year's finalists London Irish. Nearly three-quarters of Gurus are expecting a win for the Exiles, with an average overall pick of London Irish by 4. London Wasps and Harlequins take to the stage later on Saturday afternoon, with the troubles at Quins affecting many people's forecast. Three weeks ago, the community was divided down the middle for this game, but now 67% are predicting a win for Wasps - the average overall prediction is Wasps by 3, and this appears to be the tightest game of the weekend. On Sunday, Northampton Saints take on Worcester Warriors in the midlands derby at Franklins Gardens, and there is compelling support for the Saints – nearly 91% of Gurus are predicting a Home win, and the average overall prediction is Northampton by 9. Leeds Carnegie will then take their bow in the Guinness Premiership, and they are being backed by nearly a third of the community to beat Newcastle Falcons. This game has the largest proportion of predictions for a draw with nearly 3% expecting a stalemate, but the average overall pick is just in the Away side's favour with Newcastle by 3. The final match of the weekend is yet another derby, but in the West Country this time as Gloucester take on old rivals Bath. There is strong home support, with almost 73% opting for a Gloucester victory, although most are expecting a close affair – the average overall pick is Gloucester to win by 3 points. With many people expecting a very competitive Guinness Premiership season, it's no surprise that the consensus is for six very close games. Here are the average SportGuru community predictions for each fixture: Sale Sharks vs Leicester Tigers: Leicester Tigers by 5 Saracens vs London Irish: London Irish by 4 London Wasps vs Harlequins: London Wasps by 3 Northampton Saints vs Worcester Warriors: Northampton Saints by 9

Page 1 Leeds Carnegie vs Newcastle Falcons: Newcastle Falcons by 3 Gloucester Rugby vs Bath Rugby: Gloucester Rugby by 3 Disagree? Why not register for free at www.sportguru.co.uk/guinness to make your own predictions? About SportGuru: SportGuru is a free, fun and social sports prediction website which invites UK-based sports fans to predict the outcomes of matches in popular sports tournaments in competition with their friends. The site aims to repeat the success of SuperBru.com, a similar venture in the South African online space which has built a community of over 130,000 users. SportGuru and SuperBru are both owned and operated by Nevado Ltd, an online ventures firm operating out of London. For more information, please contact James Hutchison at [email protected] or on 07736 313129. Web: www.sportguru.co.uk

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