Who to bet on in the Six Nations?
The first weekend of the Six Nations is done and dusted and it was a very good one for Ireland, a rather tense time for England and a disaster for France. What should we be looking forward to in week two of the 2024 Six Nations?
Ireland on their way to Another Grand Slam?
Ireland are the defending Six Nations champions and won the Grand Slam last year. They had a disappointing Rugby World Cup and lost their place as the world’s number one ranked team. With Jonny Sexton announcing his retirement, a new era began when they travelled to France for their opening game on February 2.
It was expected to be a tough game for them but they ran out 38-17 winners and are now 1/5 at bet365 to retain their Six Nations title. This Sunday (February 11) should see them get a second successive victory. They host Italy who regularly win the Wooden Spoon for finishing bottom of the table and are 20/1 at WIlliam Hill to beat Ireland.
It’d be a massive shock if the Irish side were to lose this game. A bet on them to win the match on a -35 point handicap has odds of 10/11 at William Hill. Italy may have narrowly lost against England on Saturday but that was at home and Ireland don’t have the selection problems that the English squad currently has.
Could we see history made this year? No team has ever won two successive Grand Slams in the Six Nations. However, three of Ireland’s four remaining games are in Dublin plus a trip to Twickenham to play England on March 12. It’s 8/11 at BetVictor that Ireland complete the Grand Slam.
Defensive Problems for England
It was a nervous start to the Six Nations for England on Saturday. As expected they beat Italy but they only won the match 27-24 and were trailing at half time. They have several key players missing and that list includes their captain Owen Farrell who’s missing the entire Six Nations for mental health reasons.
England won’t be pleased with conceding 24 points against Italy increasing concerns about their defensive abilities. New defensive coach Felix Jones has had success with South Africa in the past but three tries were scored by the Italians on Saturday. The ‘blitz defence’ system may well take a bit of getting used to.
Saturday February 10 sees them host Wales and they are 2/13 at BetVictor to get the win. That’d be two wins in a row but their three final fixtures see them travel to Scotland and France with their only other home game being against Ireland. You can see why at BetVictor it’s 12/1 that they win the Grand Slam.
Wales had a nightmare start to the Six Nations when losing the first half at home to Scotland 20-0 then went another seven points behind. They made a great comeback in the second half but still lost the game 27-26. If Wales can play at Twickenham as they did in that second half then the 21/5 at William Hill on them beating England might just be worth taking.
France had high hopes of winning the Rugby World Cup on home soil. They lost in the quarter finals and are now playing catch-up in the Six Nations. Friday saw them lose 38-17 at home to Ireland and on Saturday February 10 have an awkward away game against Scotland.
Les Bleus are missing their captain Antoine Dupont who’s chasing an Olympic medal rather than Six Nations glory. That seriously affected them against Ireland and having a player sent off didn’t help them either. They are 8/15 at bet365 to win at Murrayfield.
Scotland held on against Wales at the weekend and are 13/8 at bet365 to beat France. They need to be more disciplined if a win over France is to be achieved. Two players ended up in the sin-bin and they can’t afford to do that against France.
Another fascinating weekend lies ahead of us in the Six Nations. Wins for Ireland, England and France look likely.
