London Irish vs Gloucester Rugby Picks and Odds
- Gloucester are 6.5-point home favorites over London Irish in their Rugby Premiership match on Friday, May 28th
- Spectators will be admitted to Kingsholm Stadium to view the match for the first time this season
- London Irish were 32-26 home winners over Gloucester when the two sides met earlier this season
Gloucester will face London Irish on Friday in the second-last match of the Rugby Premiership season for both sides. For the first time this season, Gloucester will actually enjoy some semblance of a home-field advantage.
Spectators will be admitted to Kingsholm Stadium to view the match for the initial occasion of the season. Last week was the first in which fans were in attendance, but home sides were 2-4 straight up. One of the away losers, though, were London Irish, who fell 31-12 at Exeter.
It was the second straight away loss for The Exiles. Perhaps that explains why oddsmakers have established Gloucester as 6.5-point home favorites.
London Irish vs Gloucester Rugby Premiership Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Irish | +215 | +6.5 (-106) | OFF |
| Gloucester Rugby | -295 | -6.5 (-121) | OFF |
Odds as of May 27th.
Kickoff for Friday’s match at Kingsholm Stadium is set for 2:45pm ET.
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London Irish Slumping
Last week’s drubbing at the hands of Exeter was the fourth successive loss for London Irish. Ben Donnell and Ben Loader were try scorers in the losing effort.
It was the fifth time in six matches the The Exiles have surrendered at least 30 points. They’ve slid to seventh in the table, well aware that only the top eight sides will qualify to play in Champions Cup rugby next season.
There was some good news this week. Australian international lock Adam Coleman was named among the substitutes who will travel to Gloucester. He’s been out since early February due to an ankle injury.
⚠ 𝙏𝙀𝘼𝙈 𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚠️
The squad to travel to Gloucester tomorrow night 👊
👏 First start for @nicgroom
🔙 @AdamColeman__ returns from injuryRead more 👉 https://t.co/40wLQ4HLqN 🍒 #GLOvLIR ☘️ pic.twitter.com/mtnhTmp2Sd
— London Irish (@londonirish) May 27, 2021
Nic Groom is being given his first start for the club at scrum-half. He came on as a 31st-minute replacement for Nick Phillips in the loss at Exeter.
George Nott is drawing in at lock and James Stokes at wing among three changes to the starting 15 from the Exeter match.
London Irish fly-half Theo Brophy Clews announced his retirement from rugby this week. Just 24, Brophy Clews took the advice of the club’s medical staff to give up the game due to ongoing issues with concussions. The former England under-20 player made 63 appearances for The Exiles, including nine this season.
Three Changes For Gloucester
Gloucester is coming off a 39-7 drubbing handed them by the Bristol Bears. That result ended the club’s two-match winning streak.
The squad will see three changes for this match, but they are significant moves. Recently-announced British and Irish Lions center Chris Harris returns to Gloucester Rugby’s line up at center along with fellow Scotland international Alex Craig at lock. Ben Morgan’s inclusion at No. 8 is the only other change to the starting side that took to the field last time out.
🍒 TEAM NEWS
Here's the 2️⃣3️⃣ primed for our penultimate home game of the season in front of the Cherry & White faithful! 😍
💯 up for Willi Heinz! 👏
🤝 Teamsheet proudly sponsored by @BPE_Solicitors.#GLOvLIR | 🍒☘️
— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) May 27, 2021
Scrum-half Willi Heinz will make his 100th appearance for Gloucester. England winger Jonny May (ankle) is among the walking wounded who will miss the match. England back Matt Banahan (lower leg), Italian international back-row forward Jake Polledri (knee), England winger Charlie Sharples (chest) and England full-back Johnny Woodward (groin) are others who are out.
Head To Head
London Irish beat Gloucester 32-26 at home on February 6th. This has proven to be a homer series. The home side has won the past three matches.
London Irish have dropped five away matches in a row to Gloucester. The Cherry and White’s average margin of victory during the five-match win streak is 16 points.
The last time The Exiles tasted victory at Kingsholm Stadium was an 18-12 verdict on January 5th, 2013.
- Pick: Gloucester Rugby -6.5 (-121)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
