Betting tip: Six Nations Rugby
The 2018 Six Nations kicks off for another season this weekend where the best European rugby teams are in action. It’s always a tightly-contested competition and bettors love investing in the globally-reconised tournament. England, Ireland, France, Wales, Scotland and Italy will do battle for the title of best European team and it should generate plenty of interest for the five rounds.
We have previewed the chances of every team and provided our best futures tips for the 2018 Six Nations.
England – 10/11
Australian-born coach Eddie Jones has worked wonders with this English side over the past few years and we weren’t surprised to see them as tournament favourites. Ladbrokes has England at 10/11, which is a fair price considering the form they showed in 2017. The English side was on par with the All Blacks throughout most of the season and although Jones wants them peaking for the World Cup, a good showing at the Six Nations is likely.
Having experienced players such as Mike Brown, Dan Cole, Owen Farrell, Dylan Hartley and Ben Youngs is going to help out the younger talent their team possesses. Bettors shouldn’t have much stress betting on England this season as they will be tough to beat.
Ireland – 13/8
Next best in the betting is Ireland, which scored an upset win over the All Blacks in Chicago last season. Those are the kind of performances which could make Ireland the team to beat in this year’s Six Nations tournament.
Not only do they have a wealth of experience in their squad, adding the likes of former New Zealand league player Bundee Aki and Joey Carbery into the squad is going to help their offensive production.
Conor Murray is one of the best in the world at his position and his expertise was on show during the Lions tour of New Zealand last year. Ireland look like a great value prospect at 13/8 with betway.
Scotland – 9/1
Scotland showed glimpses of form in 2017 when beating the likes of Australia, which will do their confidence a world of good. There were some disappointing efforts as well, with a large number of players being left out of the Lions tour, but that has given this squad more time to gel.
The big test for Scotland will come in the first round where they’re taking on Wales as the slight underdog. A win there would set them up nicely and there’s some value in the 9/1 price for the Scots.
Wales – 16/1
Turn the clock back a few years and there’s no way Wales would be at 16/1 to win the Six Nations, but their form is down at present. The Welsh are lacking experience this season with their back four having played only 18 games between them. There are many Six Nations debutantes playing for Wales this year and this isn’t a competition which typically rewards youth.
It’s clear that Wales are preparing for the World Cup, but they don’t look like a good betting opportunity at this stage.
France – 20/1
France is a much better trading opportunity for bettors at 20/1. They are going through some team changes a dismal end to the 2017 season, which saw losses to New Zealand, Suoth Africa and a draw with Japan.
They’re not a team to go down without a fight, however, and France could show up in this year’s Six Nations, especially if they get past Ireland this weekend. That will be a crucial match and there’s always room for an upset.
Italy – 1000/1
1000/1 is about the biggest odds you’ll see in a six-team competition, but they accurately reflect the chances of Italy. They did have some good results last year, but this is a tough competition and scoring one win would be considered a success.
Best Six Nations tip
England are the short favourites, but rightfully so. They have been dominant in recent seasons and the 10/11 at Ladbrokes should be snapped up before the odds drop.