Rugby betting: Guinness Premiership preview

The Premiership welcomes back the international contingent this weekend for one round of league action after two weeks of thumping Six Nations fare. Click here for a free £25 to bet on the Guinness Premiership with Totesport Wasps welcome back their England players with open arms and they will need everything that these streetwise individuals can bring in a bid to dislodge Bath at the Recreation Ground. Bath are yet to lose in their historic ground this season in the Premiership and they last lost there in the league to bitter West Country rivals Bristol in November 2006 - a winning streak of 13 games. In contast, Ian McGeechan's visitors have won just one of their last 11 games on the road - the 33-17 triumph at Stradey Park against Llanelli in November. It's not a record to be proud of, and for those who like a good cliche, the league table never lies. Bath sit third in the section with today's rivals lagging five places behind. Although Wasps have an array of international talent, and their position in the ladder owes much to their sloppy start this season, their form on the road is simply not good enough and Bath should win this tie. Bet365 offer a six-point handicap for Bath to cover, but price-sensitive punters can back the West Country side with a five-point deficit with Boylesports and Totesport. The brutal clash between Bristol and Gloucester has escaped the attention of the Sky cameras this weekend - a shame - but perhaps this has something to do with the fact that this match-up will not be for the feint-hearted, certainly not for viewing on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Card-happy arbiter Wayne Barnes blows the whistle for this match, a fact that hopefully will be lost on the bookmakers when they price up the cards market. There were two yellow cards the last time these two met in December, and in March 2006 a red was shown by Barnes when he officiated the fixture at Kingsholm. As far as who will win the game, Bristol have shown this season that they can beat the best sides in Europe at the Memorial Ground - their 17-0 steamrollering of Stade Francais is a case in point - and although Gloucester are quite possibly the best team in Europe right now, they have accumulated 20 points from their away matches in the Premiership this season, a four-point start for Bristol with Coral may be too much for the visitors to cover. Verdict: 2pts Bath -5 @ 10/11 Boylesports (totesport); 1pt Bristol +4 @ 10/11 (Coral) Click here for a free £25 to bet on the Guinness Premiership with Totesport