$50 free bet for Waratahs v Reds at IASbet

Super Rugby kicks off this weekend and Australia’s number one

bookie IASbet is giving punters who back the correct winning margin on the Brumbies v Force match a free bet on Waratahs against Reds.

Brumbies and Western Force are the two outsiders for the Grand Final but will want to get off to a winning start in the first Australian leg of 2012 Super Rugby season on Friday night. Despite winning their last two games in Canberra, the

Force have lost their main points scorer James O’Connor to the Rebels and the bookmakers are giving the away team a four

point start.

Defending champions Queensland Reds will have 15 players from last years’ final in the squad to

face its old rivals in New South Wales. Captain James Harwell will lead a team that can call on 10 players capped by the

Wallabies from 2011 for this tough opening fixture which will test the Reds’ reliance on top points scorer Quade Cooper.

The star five-eighth scored more than half the Reds points last season and could miss the first six games while he recovers

from a cruciate ligament injury.

Waratahs have their own injury problems with playmaker Berrick Barnes sidelined

with a groin strain. Daniel Halangahu is an able replacement and will take over the captain’s armband after sharing the

duties with Barnes in the trial matches. Head coach Michael Foley will pitch new recruits Sarel Pretorius and Adam Ashley-

Cooper against the champions in Saturday’s blockbuster.

The bookies can barely decide a favourite between the

teams that will be celebrating 130 years of interstate rivalry, IASbet

is offering 1.86 Waratahs and 1.90 Reds with the winning margin anticipated to be low, each team is 3.75 to win by 1-7

points.