The playoff places for the 2022/23 English Premiership title have been secured. And with just four teams in with a chance of winning the title, we take a look ahead to the remaining matches and name our winner in our Rugby Union betting picks.
- Saracens, Sale, Leicester and Northampton have all qualified for the end of season playoffs
- The playoffs semi-finals are on May 13th and 14th, with the final at Twickenham on May 27th
- Saracens face the Northampton Saints in the first semi-final, with Sale Sharks hosting Leicester in the second match
- The defending champions are Leicester. They defeated Saracens 15-12 with a last minute drop goal by Freddie Burns sealing the win
The 2022/23 English Premiership season has been a troubled one. But with just four teams left in with a chance of winning the title, the playoffs look set to shine a positive light on the English game.
In the betting to win the 2023 title, itâs Saracens who lead the way with the best rugby betting sites. The top sportsbooks have Saracens as their +110 favorites to win the English Championship for the first time since 2019. Following Sarries are the Sale Sharks at +200, with Leicester at +350, and Northampton at +1200.
| 2022/23 English Premiership Winners Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saracens | +110 | +110 | +110 |
| Sale Sharks | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Leicester Tigers | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Northampton Saints | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
Now, let's take a look at the four contenders in more detail.
Saracens +110
Saracens will host the Northampton Saints in the opening semi-final at the Stonex Stadium on May 13th. Over the past ten years Saracens have been the standout club in English club rugby. But that all came crashing down when they were found guilty of salary cap infringements in 2019, which resulted in relegation to the second tier of English rugby at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Premiership Rugby have announced Saracens will be relegated at the end of the 19/20 season. pic.twitter.com/wi0jGo4EZ3
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) January 18, 2020
Twelve months ago, Saracens were back in the Premiership Final looking for redemption. They ultimately lost to the fairytale story that was Leicester, but they will be determined to make up for it this year.
The club is full of quality players, a lot of which we will see in the Rugby World Cup later this year. You can check out the latest 2023 Rugby World Cup betting here. And itâs these quality players that have again ensured Sarries topped the regular-season table ahead of Sale by some distance.
Saracens will take some stopping from winning the title again.
Sale Sharks +200
Second in the betting is the Sale Sharks. The Sharks are captained by the inspirational Jono Ross, who has been ably supported by fly-half George Ford, who has helped bring the club up to the next level since his arrival from Leicester in 2021.
The Sharks finished a comfortable second in the regular-season table, giving them home advantage in their semi-final against Leicester. Sale arenât the heaviest scorers in the Premiership, but they are the meanest side in the division. And itâs this solid defense that has conceded less tries or points than any other, that the teamâs success is built upon.
Leicester Tigers +350
Twelve months ago Leicester pulled off one of the most stunning victories in the history of Rugby when they defeated Saracens at Twickenham to win the 2021/22 Premiership Title.
The victory was all the more remarkable given where the Tigers had come from. At the end of the 2019/20 season, the Tigers were only spared relegation thanks to the points deduction Saracens received for breaching the salary cap. The Tigers finished bottom of the table in 2020, and the relegation of Saracens seemed like nothing more than a stay of execution for the Tigers.
But Steve Borthwick had other ideas. Taking over at rock bottom, Borthwick could only really improve the club. But no one believed that in the matter of just two seasons, Borthwick would turn the team into Premiership champions.
Sadly for Leicester, Borthwick has now moved into international coaching, taking over the England team in January 2023. But what Borthwick started is still ongoing. And Leicester have since continued to thrive under the interim leadership of Richard Wigglesworth.
Job done. â #NORvLEI đ #COYT đŻ
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) September 24, 2022
Under Wigglesworth, the Tigers comfortably finished in the playoff positions, and are in with a real chance of reaching their second successive final.
Northampton Saints +1200
The Northampton Saints are the outsiders of the four semi-finalists, mainly because they are the unfortunate team having to play away to Saracens at their Stonex Stadium. If they come through that, it will be some achievement. But not many are giving the Saints much of a chance.
Phil Dowsonâs side had little difficulty in making the top four to get to this stage of the season. But itâs incredibly hard to see them going any further, and the match against Sarries is likely to be their last of the season.
Our Pick
As was seen in last yearâs final, Saracens can be beaten on a given day, and in the likes of the Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers, it could possibly happen again this year.
But we donât see the Northampton Saints stopping them. And as itâs a tight call who will win the second semi-final between Sale and Leicester, making it difficult to predict the final outcome without knowing who will be playing.
But what we do know is that Saracens are now the standout team in the English Premiership. After they were readmitted at the start of the 2021/22 season, they finished second in the table behind Leicester last year. They also went on to reach the final. This year Saracens finished ahead of Leicester in the table, and they are comfortably the best side in the division. Saracens to win the 2022/23 Premiership title has to be the pick.
