Castres Olympique vs Bordeaux Begles Prediction: It is tough to write off the visitors

In round 12 of the France Top 14, Castres Olympique will play Bordeaux Begles at Stade Pierre Fabre. Both teams are coming off a win and will be confident of being at their best again. Which team takes advantage?

Castres Olympique are coming off a win over Munster in the European Champions Cup, which ended 16-14. In a tight one, first-half strong play ending 10-7 was enough to see this team win. In the meantime, prior encounters to that win saw Castres Olympique lose to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup, while their league encounter against Clermont ended in a 54-10 defeat. 

However, Castres Olympique's last matches at home have ended with wins, with their last defeat coming in a game against Racing Metro 92. In that run of victories, Castres Olympique had nine wins. In the league, Castres Olympique have 27 points from 11 matches and sit 7th. 

Bordeaux Begles are coming off a European Rugby Championship encounter against Ulster, and they won. In a game that ended 19-40, Bordeaux Begles had t come from behind in the second half, thanks to a 0-26 win, having gone behind 19-14 before the break. 

In the meantime, that win was Bordeaux Begles’ fourth in a row, defeating Vannes, Montpellier, and Leicester Tigers in that run. In their last eleven matches, Bordeaux Begles lost two, coming against Clermont and Stade Rochelais, while winning others. 

This season, Bordeaux Begles have 37 points in the league from 11 matches. In fact, this team is two points adrift of first-placed Stade Toulousain. 

Head-Head Statistics:

Bordeaux Begles and Castres Olympique's last matches have ended with three wins for Bordeaux Begles. However, Castres Olympique won the remaining two, with their most recent also ending in a 41-12 score in their favour. In each of their four matches, we have witnessed more than fourty goals. 

Castres Olympique are well favoured, and it is worth it at home, given the squad quality and level of play. However, Bordeaux Begles have been very competitive this season, and I do not see them giving Castres an easy job on the road. This is a crucial game for the two sides, and looking at how brilliant Bordeaux Begles have been in both attack and defence, I will back them get within the margin. Also, with the two sides being one of the three teams that have scored 300+ goals, a bet on over is a very good one to consider.