France

France v Italy Six Nations Rugby betting should see the home side get off to a comfortable start to this year’s tournament. France, the defeated World Cup finalists at the hands of New Zealand, go into the 2012 Six Nations tournament as outright favourites. They have a lot to build on and they will probably have shaken off some of their unpredictability as coach Marc Leivremont has gone, to be replaced by Philippe St Andre. France have drafted in some new faces for the opening match with Wesley Fofana coming into the centre to join club team mate Aurelien Rougerie. France are the strongest and the most complete team in terms of power, scrimmaging technique and running ability from deep. There is always the temperamental side of France to take into consideration, but St Andre should add way more stability and efficiency about their play. That are likely to end up as the tournament’s top try scorers as they have a great deal to build upon. The core of their World Cup final team is still in place, with ten of the players remaining in the starting line up. St Andrew has abandoned the Dimitri Yachvili and Morgan Parra experiment playing alongside, with the two scrum half specialists being separated with Yachviili starting and Parra as a replacement on the bench. That is a huge step in the right direction as the backs line up with Francois Trinh-Duc getting the nod a fly half position. There is great mobility and power in the starting line up and great replacements to come off the bench, including Imanol Harinordoquy. Definitely the strongest looking Six Nations squad on paper, and at home they can be pretty much banked on to take maximum points. They should be fired up for this one in Paris for France v Italy Six Nations Rugby betting, because there was the small matter of losing their first ever competitive match against Italy in last year’s tournament.

Yes, Italy came away with a thrilling 22-21 win over France in Rome last season to earn their first ever competitive victory over the strong French. Italy also have a new man at the top, with Nick Mallett stepping aside after the World Cup, with the reins being handed to Jacques Brunel. Italy has a superb front line and that is where their strengths still are. They go into the match with an uncapped scrum half on the bench, and they bring in an uncapped winger in Giovanbattista Venditti for his debut. Italy have shown great progression in their game, especially their running game, but they will want to keep France in a tight contest up front as much as possible. That is because Italy can spoil the rhythm of the French and the more broken up the game is, then the more that will suit Italy. But Italy have a new look as well, with seven changes being made from their last match in the World Cup, which was in the group stage against Ireland. While the backs have been changed about quite a bit, the strong forward pack is still in place. Sergio Parisse will lead from the number eight position and it is the same pack of forwards that challenged at the World Cup. Italy are still likely to fall short in the Six Nations outside of the forward contests but they should give France a good scrap up there, but will probably have trouble with the pace and power of the French in Paris over 80 minutes in France v Italy Six Nations rugby betting.

In the France v Italy head to head, out of 33 matches played in total, there have been 31 wins for France. There is a huge points difference to look at when these sides come together, with France outscoring Italy by 19 points on average. France average 29.82 points against Italy, while Italy average just 10.48 so a huge imbalance here. While last year’s Six Nations threw up a massive upset, France haven’t scored fewer than 25 points in their last ten home matches against the Italians.

France v Italy Six Nations Rugby betting odds
France to win: 1/28 at SkyBet
Draw: 50/1 at Bet Victor
Italy to win: 18/1 at SportingBet

Online bookmaker Ladbrokes have a good rugby betting promotion running for this year’s Six Nations. If the new look young England side go on and win the Six Nations this year, then the bookie will refund all losing outright Championship winner singles placed on the tournament. Qualifying bets for this promotion have to be placed before the start of the tournament on February 4th at 2.30 pm GMT (which is the kick off for France v Italy). The coverage on this promotion is up to £100, so good option worth taking. Popular online bookmaker Ladbrokes offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50 with a free bet.

England v France – this is the big one. This has been penciled in a the Six Nations decider, the England v France battle royale at Twickenham on Saturday. Both sides have enjoyed winning starts to the new season, picking up two victories from two matches. England started with a bang against the Welsh down in Cardiff, in what was billed as a tricky test for them, and was a key indicator of how well they would fare in the Championship this year. England came through that challenge with great aplomb, and then completely destroyed the Italians at Twickers the following weekend, with winger Chris Ashton running in four tries in the one sides match. As for France, they were made to work by Scotland in their opening match in Paris, but they showed sustained quality in the forwards and from running from the back in counter attacking positions. The French looked the best side of the tournament on the opening weekend, full of flair, control and adventure, even though there was a weak spot or two in their defence. But then they went to Dublin, where the Irish gave them a much sterner test. This was a massive match for both sides, and it could have swung either way. Neither side were great to be honest on the day, trading blows, trading mistakes and the French, who were accused of being arrogant and complacent in the match, squeezed through with a three point victory. Quite how big a victory that will prove to be in this year’s Six Nations for the defending champions remains to be seen. While the Grand Slam has been seen to be out of reach for any side in this year’s competition, the winner of the England v France match will be over half way to that task.

England will be favourites, mainly because of home advantage, and because of the way the French performed on the road in their last match. England look to have come on leaps and bounds under Martin Johnson finally, with the players finally getting the message about playing expansive attacking rugby. The right personnel is in the line up, with the likes of Ben Youngs, Chris Ashton and Ben Foden being able to exploit space so very well. Toby Flood has shown a new level of maturity on the international scene, and while the defence in the midfield could still be stiffened up somewhat, at least England are showing a penchant for crossing the try line, something they were struggling for so long to do. One worry for the home side in this big match against France, is about opening the game up too much. France are experts at exploiting any tiny little opportunity presented to them with space, they can counter from anywhere. This will be England’s biggest test so far of the 2011 RBS Six Nations, and they will face the toughest defence they have encountered so far. For England, the match could all be won up front. France aren’t the heaviest in the scrum, but have shown great scrimmaging technique, but England have the power, technique, control and mobility to win the match up front. Even though England haven’t been at their strongest up front because of injuries, the replacement players have come in to the set up with tremendous performances. Andrew Sheridan and captain Lewis Moody could both return to the starting fifteen on the weekend.

This is a big match, not only for the Six nations, but for the World Cup ambitions of both sides as well. Both sides are on the fringes when it comes to being tipped to win the World Cup, but this match should carry a lot of momentum and confidence forward this year. This is the match which should decide the 2011 Six Nations really, and with home advantage, England should be in the driving seat. This is a massive match though, and no doubt the French will be up for this, and France coach Marc Lievremont has bluntly come out and said that the French do not like the English. While this is a clash of the two unbeaten teams in the tournament, slipping into World Cup mode is important, and England look as if they are already moving through the gears. With France’s awkward stumbles against the Irish last time out, this will be a major test in seeing how they are progressing. It is all well beating Scotland comfortably at home, it is the difficult away days against the best teams which really set your standards. France have already made changes to their side, with Sebastien Chabal, Vincent Clerc, Yannick Jauzion and scrum half Dimitri Yachvilli coming into the side. Apparently the French have a plan up their sleeve to stop the big threat from Chris Ashton on the wing. England need the big carries from the likes of James Haskell up front to really get into the French, and that initial contact and recycling the ball quickly is the one big area in which England can gain dominance.

France squeezed out a 12-10 win over England in the tournament last year on their way to the Grand Slam, that was in Paris though. The last time the two met at Twickenham, there was a substantial 34-10 victory for England in 2009. That completed a run of three straight victories over the French for England, and England do hold a pretty decent head to head record against the French. In 93 test matches, England have won 50 matches, while France have picked up 36. The biggest margin of victory for England was a 37-0 thrashing, and the biggest points total that England have ran up against the French at Twickenham was 48. Can we expect that kind of return again from a resurgent England? Probably not, as this should be a close match, with no more than seven points separating the two sides realistically. England average 15 points per match against France, while the French in reply average just under 12 points per match, so a close match is on the cards. Can England take full advantage of playing at Twickenham? Or will the French spoil the party? Back an England win, home advantage could just tip the scales between the two European giants.

England to win: 1/2 at SportingBet
Draw: 22/1 at Bwin
France to win: 19/10 at Unibet

Great Rugby betting promotion from Paddy Power on the England v France game. If England winger Chris Ashton scores a try and performs the Swallow Dive (something which he has been berated for doing from manager Martin Johnson), then Paddy Power will refund all losing try scorer and winning margin bets on the match! Paddy Power welcome new customers to their site, with a free £25 bet when opening a new account with the popular online bookmaker, who really excel at money back special promotions on sports betting!

England are 8/11 at Victor Chandler to win the Six Nations
France are 13/8 at Bet365 to win the Six Nations

With a thrilling opening weekend of the 2011 RBS Six Nations over and done with, it is time to take stock and assess things ahead of the next round of matches. SportingBet are running a great Rugby betting promotion for the duration of the Six Nations, as the best of the northern hemisphere square up against one another in the hope of Grand Slam and Six Nations glory. France are the defending Champions, and they put in an all round impressive performance against Scotland in Paris, but there were just a couple of cracks in their defence to suggest that they are beatable. Ireland just about escaped from Rome with maximum points, as the Italians were in touching distance of their first ever Six Nations win over Ireland, until Ronan O’Gara dropped a late winning goal. England went to Cardiff on the opening night, and saw off the challenge of the Welsh, in a performance which should give a lot of hope to the England supporters. England are currently favourites to win the Six Nations, with a run of three home games to come giving them a big advantage. SportingBet are running Six Nations Rugby Handicap Tie Refunds for all their match betting for this year’s tournament.

Here is the promotion deal. When you place a bet on either team to win a Six Nations match in the SportingBet Handicap Prices market, but the match ends even in a Handicap Tie (not a physical tie on the pitch, but if the handicap spread finishes as a tie), then the popular online bookmaker will Refund your losing bet as a free bet, and this is covered by a value of up to £25 per match bet on. So, if for Example, you took England -2 Handicap v France, and England won by exactly two points, then the Handicap would be tied. Your bet will have lost because England failed to overcome the handicap, but with this bit of added insurance, your rugby betting on the 2011 Six Nations is covered. Check out Handicap betting at SportingBet for the Six Nations. There is value to be picked up there, an it adds an extra dimension to your regular rugby betting.  SportingBet are great exponents of sports betting promotions and really should be looked at, for their excellent betting services and rewards on their website.

Online bookmaker Blue Square are well worth a visit for your 2011 RBS Six Nations rugby betting. What the popular bookie do very well, is offer great handicap markets on the rugby. This handicap rugby betting is a great alternative to your outright winner markets, as not only does it make the bet a little bit more challenging, but sometimes there is also better profit to be made. Take Ireland’s opener against Italy, the Irish are going into that one as favourites, and so their price on winning the match outright would be pretty short. But, by looking for an handicap instead, you can expand your odds by predicting how much of a margin they will win by. Back the Irish to beat their handicap and you’ll be doing so at better odds. With the handicap at Blue Square on Six Nations rugby betting, it is not about just picking the winner, it is making the call of just how good a win it is going to be. The bigger the winning margin, and the braver you are with your betting to make the call in the first place, the bigger your profits are going to be. But that isn’t the be-all and end-all of things though, as handicap markets allow you win profit when the team you back loses. The Six Nations looks as if it will be an incredibly close ran thing this season, and if you think underdogs Scotland may lose their opener against France, but not by a big margin, you could take them with a positive handicap for example, so there are ways to juggle with your betting here. As for predicting outcomes, England, Ireland and France will be the most prominent forces again in the tournament, but look at important stats such as average points scored and winning margins.

See our full match previews for stats and info:
Wales v England
France v Scotland
Italy v Ireland

Blue Square run a great online sports betting service, with competitive prices for these rugby handicaps. The handicap system at Blue Square is just a little more prominent than with other bookies, so it is a feature which gets a lot of attention with them. With the Six Nations expected to be tight, and matches tough to call, adding the dimension of handicap betting to your repertoire may well pay dividends for you. England are favourites to beat Wales away at the Millennium Stadium on the opening night, and while England are priced 4/6 to win, and 10/11 to overcome a -2 Handicap (explore the markets for larger handicaps). How about Ireland overcoming a -13 Handicap against Italy in Rome? That will pay out 10/11 opposed to Ireland outright odds of 1/8. France also start against Scotland with 10/11 on a -13 handicap as well. So there is plenty to explore as well as good fixed odds outright on the opening round of RBS Six Nations matches with Blue Square, as listed below. The popular online bookmaker welcome new customers opening an account with a generous offer. When you open an account with Blue Square, you can get yourself a free £10 bet. Simply place a bet of £5 or more, and Blue Square will generously give you £10 for free. That is potentially a 200% match first bet! Consider them for some handicap betting on the Six Nations Rugby.

Wales v England
Wales 6/5, Draw 20/1, England 4/6

Italy v Ireland
Italy 5/1, Draw 25/1, Ireland 1/8

France v Scotland
France 1/8, Draw 25/1, Scotland 5/1

2011 Six Nations Outright Winner
England 2/1, France 9/4, Ireland 3/1, Wales 11/2, Scotland 10/1, Italy 250/1

France v Scotland really should be a cracker. France, the current defending Champions in the RBS Six Nations, had a stuttering 2010 when to trying to build on their tournament success. A horrific defeat against Australian in the autumn, means that the French have lost three of their last five test matches now, and the French side are suddenly under a lot of pressure. Coach Marc Lievremont must be wondering what has happened to his defence, as they simply haven’t been at the races. It looked as if the Six Nations effort, in which they were simply brilliant, either took everything out of them, or they were guilty of being far too complacent in their approach to the rest of the matches. This should be a World Cup contending team, but in their last few performances, they have looked far short of being world beaters. Conceding 40 points per match in those three defeats mentioned above, is a pretty horrendous record. They have simply lost their confidence and once that goes, the French can fall apart pretty quickly. There is no middle ground with the French, they are either breathtaking or they are poor. They showed so much quality in last year’s tournament, with almost perfect ball control in the rucks, and the ability to demolish teams out wide and in particular through the centre. They will be hampered by a tough fixture list, having to play Ireland and England away, and so this opener against Scotland is crucial. A loss in Paris for the home side would pretty much destroy their chance at winning the Six Nations one would imagine.

They are still the unpredictable, maverick side which has the ability to thrill and entertain, but more than that is needed here. They need to buckle down up front, cut out the errors and find some way of injecting a bit of life into their play. They simply rolled over against Australia without putting up any kind of fight, and if they thought that the visit of Scotland this year was going to be an easy one, it is not. The Scots are improving rapidly, and the French need to get out of their rut, and that is what makes this encounter so interesting. France have all of the potential in their squad to win the Six Nations, don’t be thinking that they don’t as they have talent right throughout their squad. The French have to be watched, and how much their creativity and will to win comes into play, will be a huge factor in them getting of to a winning start. They are the home team of course here, and that should count for a lot. They are not at the bottom of the barrel yet, but they still seem a way short of the 2010 Grand Slam busting team which swept through the tournament. You can’t write them off course, and they should win this match, but it is how they will cope on the road this season which will determine their success or failure. The big thing about France, is that they don’t look consistent enough to be a Grand Slam winning side again this year, but they shouldn’t have any problems getting out of the starting blocks. Confidence is everything, and that joie de vivre could well creep back into the side with a good victory. Their front five look in pretty good shape to be honest, and Scotland won’t match them.

As for Scotland, coach Andy Robinson has turned them into a team which are incredibly hard to beat at the moment. They only avoided the wooden spoon in the 2010 RBS Six Nations by a single point over Italy, but enjoyed a far more productive year after that. They have been struggling to win more than one match in the Six Nations for some time now, and they broke a long record of not being able to win away in the tournament, when they squeezed out Ireland in last year’s final round of fixtures. The thing about Scotland, is that if they do not play to the absolute heights of their potential, then they will be beaten, more often than not, comfortably. While they have beaten the likes of South Africa in the Autumn, the Scots really are still struggling to find a genuine offensive weapon in their game. They have racked up just seven tries in the thirteen matches in which Robinson has been in charge of the nation. They were horrendously undone by New Zealand in the Autumn internationals, and that brought them massively back down to earth. However, they have won five of their last six matches now, and so they are showing definite signs of improvement. No, they are not going to win the Six Nations this year, that is out of the question, particularly because they have to travel to both Twickenham and Paris, there is real potential of them picking up solid home wins. While they have done well lately, it is unlikely that they will beat France. The French have a really big point to prove to England and Ireland that they can make an impact, and they should have enough flair to outscore the stubborn Scots on the day.

In the head to head stats department, we are looking at 46 wins for France and just 34 for Scotland. There have only been three draws between the two sides, and France’s biggest winning margin over Scotland was a 51-9 victory, while Scotland’s biggest triumph in this fixture was a 31-3 win. This could be quite a close match if Scotland’s defence stands strong from the start of the match. France have averaged 13 points per game against Scotland, while Scotland have averaged just under twelve points per match. Not a great deal to choose between them in the stats here, but the ball really is in the court of the French, and they have to take the game to the visitors. You can see them running in a couple of tries at least, while trying to picture the Scottish doing the same, is a little bit more difficult. The tighter and slower the Scottish keep the game, the longer they will stay in it. They aren’t vastly expansive and will have trouble coping with the pace of the French midfield.

Last Year’s Result: Scotland 9, France 18
France Last Year’s Six Nations Finishing Position: 1st
Scotland Last Year’s Six Nations Finishing Position: 5th

France to win: 1/8 at Bwin
Draw: 33/1 at Bet365
Scotland to win: 6/1 at Boylesports

It is less than a week now before the 2001 RBS Six Nations betting gets underway, with the Friday night lights shining down at the Millennium Stadium as England head across the border to face Wales. England are favourites in the betting to take the Six Nations crown this year, and that is fair enough, considering their much improved performances over the autumn, which finally saw them cut loose a little bit, and develop something of an attacking edge. It was not prolific, there are definitely still kinks to work out of the master plan, but this Six Nations is huge. The teams need to be ready, as this will provide those all important competitive matches ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup. So with the fixture list drawn for the opening weekend, what can we expect from the combatants. Well, England are standing out front with the online bookmakers and in all likelihood, none of the teams look good enough to complete the Grand Slam. England still have their faults, so do Ireland. France will always be a threat, but even they have their weaknesses at the moment. Really the tournament is wide open, and you have to have a look at those away fixtures. England have to be looked at as the favourites, they are improving where the other nations seem to be stuttering just a bit. Therefore they will rightly be front runners, but this is going to be a close, hard fought tournament.

RBS Six Nations Fixtures 2011

Friday, 04 February 2011
Wales v England

Saturday, 05 February 2011
France v Scotland, Italy v Ireland

Saturday, 12 February 2011
England v Italy, Scotland v Wales

Sunday, 13 February 2011
Ireland v France

Saturday, 26 February 2011
England v France, Italy v Wales

Sunday, 27 February 2011
Scotland v Ireland

Saturday, 12 March 2011
Italy v France, Wales v Ireland

Sunday, 13 March 2011
England v Scotland

Saturday, 19 March 2011
France v Wales, Ireland v England, Scotland v Italy

2011 RBS Six Nations Betting Tips

So where to go with your betting? The first market in which you want to look, is the Six Nations Grand Slam betting odds. You can use a bit of reverse betting here, and pick No Grand Slam, which will pay out at 4/6 at Paddy Power. That is the favourite in this market and really makes a sound bet. It all least should guarantee some return and makes a pretty good Six Nations betting tip. If you want to push the boat out on this market, then England are the favourite nation to do the Grand Slam, but best priced at 11/2 at Totesport, you can that it really isn’t expected. What about the Triple Crown between the home nations? Well, again you can picked a healthy 15/8 at Paddy Power for No Winner in this market, and again England are the only team who look to have a chance at pulling it off, and they are 3/1 at Totesport to win the Triple Crown. The away matches against Ireland and Wales may scupper that dream. Italy are 2/5 favourites at BetFred to finish bottom, and that should pretty much be a banker. As for the winner market, well here are the outright odds along with previews for the hopes of each nation:

England: 2/1 at Totesport

Still in that mould of potential more than being able to deliver. They should win their home matches here at the Six Nations, but there are still question marks over them, enough to warrant looking at them losing their away matches (against Wales and Ireland). England did develop more of a running game and took the Aussies and the Kiwis on when they came over in November. England still fell short against the All Blacks, and were pretty much mailed by the South Africans as well. As for all of the hype about England being a much better team than they have been for some time, well, that probably can’t be argued with. They need to find improvement from their third place finish last year, and hopefully the Six Nations will be the perfect testing ground for the team to gel together even more, and work out the flaws which are still in the team. The midfield is far from perfect defensively and with Captain Lewis Moody out, manager Martin Johnson probably won’t be able to select his preferred starting fifteen. Moody’s partner in the back row Tom Croft will also miss the Six Nations, both big blows. But Johnson has also lost Courtney Lawes, which is perhaps one of the big elements missing from the pack, as the rampaging Lawes looked mightily impressive in the autumn internationals. Those are England’s two most mobile forwards, and that could have a major impact on how they play. Will hey go back to a static, set piece, territorial game? England will be without Delon Armitage, who has picked up an 8 week ban. But what England managed to do over the autumn, was to finally bring a bit of flair into the side, and that is in the shape of Ben Foden from Full Back, Ben Youngs and Chris Ashton, who is an incredibly talented and exciting young winger. England simply are not going to win the Grand Slam, the opposition, who always like to give the English a hard time, will make sure of that. The final match of the campaign in Ireland, really looks as if it will be the make or break one, and with having lost on all three of their last visits to Wales, England are not guaranteed of anything. They need to find the balance between the new found running game, and holding shape in defence. They have a big chance at winning the Six Nations with three home games, but they do still carry a very poor away record of late, and that will be the dampener on the whole Grand Slam party. Well worth a punt, but simply not consistent, or refined enough as a unit to win all of their matches.

Ireland: 7/2 at Stan James

Not quite sure what has happened to the Irish really. Two years ago they were rampaging their way to the Grand Slam, but now they are struggling for victories, and a bit soft in the centre. There is a proud rugby tradition in Ireland, but the balance of power seems to have shifted back in favour of England to be honest, particularly at club level. The fixtures have been kind to them this year, as they get home advantage for their main rivals for the Six Nations title, France and England. Ireland won a couple of games in the Autumn, but there is something from missing from them, that spark that has made them one of the strongest forces in the Six Nations. Something is not right, as it is not with England, but England seem to be going forward, while Ireland seem to be looking to stop the slide backwards. There is still quality in the side, like Brian O’Driscoll, but the best days of the golden generation of Irish rugby has probably gone, and they need to take stock and rebuild. A bad campaign here could mean the end for coach Declan Kidney, and while his team may be past their best, he has to get the young blood in there now to work alongside the experienced heads. They may be without Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble though because of injury. They do have a good record at home against England and France, so they will still be hopeful of gunning for the Six Nations. It is unlikely that they are going to win the Grand Slam anytime soon, but those two home matches will be crucial to their overall performance. The Irish have had their struggles on the road, just like England, and lost to Scotland last year in a shocker.

France: 13/5 at Victor Chandler

What has happened to Ireland? What has happened to France? They were awesome in last year’s Six Nations, ball retention, running, forward power, defense, there was a lot to be admired about them. The wheels rapidly fell off though in the autumn, including an embarrassingly heavy defeat against Australia, by a score of 59-16. The French simply had no fight in them, and their defence is completely in tatters at the moment. They will concede tries in the Six Nations, more so than many will expect them too. The key games for them this year will be the visits to England and Ireland, so they don’t have a very friendly fixture list awaiting them. The French will still be unpredictable, and you never know, coach Marc Lievremont may well put out a side which makes a clean sweep of the Six Nations. That is just a far fetched example of how unpredictable the French could be. For your Six Nations betting, one of the most crucial factors is the fixture list. They are not at their best, but should still win matches and be close in the running for the Six Nations title. They always make an exciting World Cup side, but they need to step up from where they were in the Autumn. They looked incredibly short on confidence for some reason, and it does not take too much to fracture the spirit of the French. They can be got at in the packs this year, and will lose games. Most likely those crucial away ones.

Scotland: 16/1 at  Bet365

Well, they have a new captain. Alastair Kellock, after leading Scotland through the autumn internationals, keeps his job, and will try and give them hope of better things to come. Coach Andy Robinson really has done a fantastic job with them, and they are the most in form team of all the competitors going into the 2011 Six Nations. That’s right, after beating Ireland in the last round of the 2010 Six Nations, they had a great rest of the year. You may remember them beating Australia. You may remember them beating South Africa as well. In fact, the only blot on their copy book in the last six Test Matches, was a thrashing dealt out by the All Blacks, which, all things considered, is nothing to be ashamed of. Andy Robinson has made Scotland very hard to beat. No, they do not have the flair, or quality of personnel that the likes of France and England can call upon, but they have a great team ethic and spirit, which the other nations could be envious of. As for the Six Nations in 2011, well, Scotland aren’t going to win it. They are pencilled in again as one of the runners for the Wooden Spoon, perhaps harshly, given the positive strides forward which they have taken. Have a great chance to take out Italy and Wales up at Murrayfield, and will probably rattle the Irish again. However, their away trips may just break their resolve, as they have to go to Twickenham and to the Stade Francais, and the Scots haven’t won at either of those places in the last five matches at each venue. You really should see a much improved Scottish side, and one that should pick up a couple of victories at least. They should beat Wales and Italy, the crucial one should be against the Irish really, a match which could move them well clear of the bottom (if you are writing off the away games as defeats).

Wales: 15/2 at SportingBet

The Welsh will be chomping at the bit to get their teeth into the improving England at the Millennium Stadium in the first match of their campaign. Coach Warren Gatland needs to pull some kind of miracle out of his hat, if he is to keep the Welsh fans happy. They are on a run of seven straight defeats, and they need to turn to their great record against England to give them some confidence ahead of the rest of the Six Nations campaign. That match will probably make or break the Welsh to be honest. If they can eek out a fourth consecutive win over England at the Millennium Stadium, then they will set themselves up well. A defeat, and they will be wondering where the next win is coming from, and that is because it will be a long way to fall after getting so hyped up against the auld enemy. The problems for Wales really lie in their defensive frailties. They just have not got any staying power, and have no clue as to how to see out a game. They blew some strong leads during 2010, and what really set the Welsh fans groaning was an absolute dire performance in which they could only draw with Fiji. It was that bad. They have lost Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones, which will weaken their front line, the last thing they want when trying to take on the might of England’s front row. Suddenly Wales find themselves behind Scotland in the pecking order, and they won’t be happy with that. There are winnable games, one against Italy (in Rome) and perhaps their only other best chance is a spirited rousing affair against the Irish at the Millennium Stadium, because Ireland haven’t got a great record there. There is no poster boy Gavin Henson to add a spark in the three quarters, there is a little indecision as to how Wales will actually line up at the back, with James Hook, Lee Byrne, Stephen Jones and Jamie Roberts all looking to hold their favoured places down. However, when Wales start tossing the ball around in the backs, they look a threat. They haven’t got the defensive power to back it up, and have a weak front row in the scrum. Wales are a long way from their Grand Slam winning year of 2008, and may well find themselves scrapping it out with Italy for the wooden spoon, although only in terms of finishing fifth, as they aren’t going to be worse than the Italians.

Italy: 250/1 at Paddy Power

Well, they have still really to make an impact since joining the Six Nations, and again they will be favourites to finish last. The Italians do have a good crop of young players coming through though, and that should finally give them some good hope for the years ahead. They look to be on the right track finally, but they need time and experience to really step up. It is hard to picture the Italians going out and winning two matches in the campaign this year, but there are a couple of matches which they could be targeting. First of all they get to face Wales in Rome, and if Wales are having one of their off days, their defensive is poor enough to be rattled by the Italians. The strength of the Italians will be in their front row actually, and this is where they could get into teams and perhaps cause an upset. They are not going out looking to be world beaters at all, they seem to understand that this is an ongoing process. The only other team that Italy have beaten in the Six Nation apart from Wales is Scotland. But Italy face Scotland at Murrayfield, and you really don’t bank on Italy going away and picking up a victory. It would be hard to see them doing that, even if Scotland weren’t the much improved side that they are at the moment. With tough trips to France, England and Scotland, the Italians are going to come up short again. Hopefully they won’t just be the whipping boys, and some fairly solid performances in the autumn internationals suggest that they are going to get better over time.

England v France, Wednesday, November 17th – Sunderland’s Jordan Henderson could be on the brink of earning his first senior cap, as England boss Fabio Capello is leaning towards youth for the midweek England v France international friendly. Henderson has been impressing all season, and could be one of a crop of youngster who get their chance to shine at Wembley on Wednesday. The other name on the list that has gained a lot of attention, is that of Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. The striker has been enjoying a fine season as Newcastle try and secure their position in the top half of the Premier League after returning to England’s top flight this season. Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere should be in line for a start, as England may possibly field a very young side. Manchester United’s Chris Smalling also makes a surprise name on the list, and finally Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbolahor could get a proper chance after making a comeback from injury against Manchester United on the weekend, and looking good. There were hints that there would have been call ups for Matt Jarvis from Wolves and Blackburn’s Phil Jones also, but they both miss out. One surprising call up for the young England squad, is that of forward Jay Bothroyd from Cardiff. The striker is in incredible form this season, having hit 15 goals in the Championship, and with Capello leaning towards an experimental squad for this final match of 2010, Bothroyd could earn a surprise cap. While this is good recognition for a player in form, it does speak volumes about the lack of options available to Fabio Capello in England’s top flight. It is not as if Capello is blessed with a lot of choices.

England v France International Friendly Betting Odds

England to win: 15/13 at Bwin
Draw: 23/10 at SkyBet
France to win: 14/5 at William Hill

England are short on top quality strikers. Wayne Rooney is still nursing an ankle injury. Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora are long term absentee’s this season, and with Darren Bent missing for a few weeks as well, the main England strike force has been depleted. Who does it leave? Pretty much Peter Crouch in the squad as a senior striker with experience. So, with Capello having to dip down into England’s second tier to find quality to fill out the squad, where really does that leave the future of England’s strikers? England don’t play competitively until March when they face Wales in a Euro 2012 qualifier in Cardiff, so they should be at fuller strength there. While Agbonlahor, Bothroyd and Carroll make interesting propositions for England’s future, they are of course relatively untested at full international level. Newcastle’s Carroll has been knocking on the door of the England squad, after hitting seven goals in the Premier League this year, and currently being the league’s top scorer along with team mate Kevin Nolan. The likelihood is that the big striker will actually start against France in the friendly, as Agbonlahor is still working his way back to full fitness. Sunderland’s Henderson has been impressive for the Black Cats, and is part of the reason why they have taken a much better step towards consistency. A product of the Under 21 side, his name has been touted around as being a great prospect for the future in the England midfield. He could deservedly make his debut.

There is actually an exciting look about England to some degree, particularly in the midfield. While Frank Lampard is still out injured, the attacking threats from Manchester City’s Adam Johnson and James Milner, along with Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere, accompanied by Aston Villa’s Ashley Young looking quite promising and hints at a good future in that department. As for the England defence that will be on show for the England v France match, there is a little uncertainty. For a match which has no meaning, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson may be hoping that Capello leaves Ashley Cole, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand on the bench. It is quite a senior looking back line, but the surprise call up of United’s Chris Smalling, who hasn’t really made any impact at Old Trafford since his move in the summer, could hint at Capello experimenting there too. With Micah Richards, Kieran Gibbs and Joleon Lescott in the defensive corps, it could be a different looking England defence as well, perhaps even just for the second half. Capello may even take a look at Blackburn’s Jones in the back line at some point, as his rise and rise continues to unexpected levels. But up front is the area which will come under the most scrutiny of all. This is a good chance for Capello to really see what options he has beneath the established names. England need to know that they can call on depth up front when the main few fall out of form, or fall foul of injury like they have done. With nothing but pride on the line in the match against France, it makes the perfect opportunity to blood some fledglings.

England squad to play France

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Joe Hart, Rob Green
Defenders: Kieran Gibbs, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling
Midfielders: Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young, Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Jordan Henderson
Forwards: Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jay Bothroyd, Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch

The visitor’s Laurent Blanc’s new look France are bringing quite an experienced side to Wembley for the fixture v England. Four players based in the Premier League make the squad, with Chelsea’s Florent Malouda joining the Arsenal trio of Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri. After failing miserably as well at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, France are in rebuild mode and are sitting top of their Euro 2012 qualifying group, having won three and lost one. The defeat came in their opening match, a 1-0 defeat at home by Belarus. They have picked their form up after that though, keeping three clean sheets as Blanc starts stamping his authority and influence over the team.

England v France Statistics

There have been twenty International Friendlies between England and France
There have been seven competitive matches between England and France

Competitive Matches
England have a W3, D2, L2 record

Friendly matches
England have W13, D2, L5 record

Last 5 head to head
2008 – France 1, England 0 (Friendly)
2004 – England 1, France 2 (European Championships)
2000 – France 1, England 1 (Friendly)
1999 – England 0, France 2 (Friendly)
1997 – France 1, England 1 (Friendly international tournament)

David Beckham holds the record (jointly with Billy Wright) for the most caps for an England player versus France (5)

The 2010 World Cup is fading into the background for every European nation who will now start competing to qualify for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine. Just fourteen places are up for grabs and the groups are therefore set to be highly competitive, with eight 2nd placed teams having to contest a play-off to go through.

Naturally, the bookmakers will be offering a wide range of betting markets for all the matches that are taking place on Friday, although many will also be showing a selection of the games on their website and it’s completely free to watch any of them!

Bet365 have just released information which states that they will be showing the following matches this week:

Thursday
Israel v Malta 19:15 BST

Friday
Armenia v Rep of Ireland 16:00 BST
Kazakhstan v Turkey 17:00 BST
Andorra v Russia 17:30 BST
San Marino v Netherlands 17:45 BST
Faroe Islands v Serbia 18:00 BST
Sweden v Hungary 19:00 BST
Latvia v Croatia 19:00 BST
Belgium v Germany 19:15 BST
Estonia v Italy 19:30 BST
France v Belarus 20:00 BST
Iceland v Norway 20:00 BST
Portugal v Cyprus 20:45 BST

That’s a brilliant selection of Euro 2012 qualifiers to choose from and you simply need to have a bet365 account to be able to log in and view all the matches that are taking place. However, you should note that geographical restrictions apply to these games.

For example, any based in France, Belarus or the USA will not be able to watch the France v Belarus match, while anyone based in the UK, Ireland, Armenia and USA will not be able to watch Armenia v Republic of Ireland.

It’s also worth checking out Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and betfair who also have the rights to show many sporting events for free on their website.

There are some interesting matches taking place, not least the France match against Belarus which will see Laurent Blanc take charge of Les Bleus for their first competitive match since the fiasco at the 2010 World Cup. It’s a new regime after the reign of Raymond Domenech and bet365 offer a best price 1/3 that the French get their Euro 2012 campaign off to a winning start.

Meanwhile, Germany can be viewed on the bet365 live streaming console when they travel to Belgium for what could be a tricky contest. Many people are excited about this German team after some excellent performances during the 2010 World Cup and they are 8/13 with Sky Bet to get off to a flyer. Thomas Muller is 13/2 with bet365 to open the scoring in this match and he was joint-top scorer in South Africa.

Finally, you can watch World Cup finalists Holland when they travel to San Marino for the first match of their qualifying campaign and it would be a major surprise if the Dutch didn’t oblige at odds of 1/100! It may well be worth covering the 5-0 (15/2 Paddy Power), 6-0 (14/1 Paddy Power) and 7-0 (22/1 Paddy Power), then sitting back and enjoying the goalfest from the Netherlands!

Just two months after the 2010 World Cup came to an end, the focus shifts towards Euro 2012, with the first round of qualifiers taking place on Friday. The tournament finals will take place in Poland and Ukraine, which means that just fourteen qualifying places are available due to the co-hosts automatically booking their place at the table.

There are nine qualifying groups, with the winner from each going through to the finals along with the best performing 2nd-placed team. The other eight 2nd-placed teams will play-off to determine the final four places.

It’s little surprise to see Spain as outright favourites (4/1 bet365) to win Euro 2010, with La Furia Roja now the champions of the world as well as Europe. Vicente Del Bosque remains as manager of the national team and it will be largely the same set of players that defend their crown.  A group including Czech Republic and Scotland shouldn’t pose too many problems for the holders.

However, the one other European team that stood out in South Africa were Germany, especially as Joachim Loew took a chance on several young players such as Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira. The pair have both signed for Real Madrid this term, while the likes of Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger should ensure that Die Mannschaft are lively contenders. Paddy Power go 11/2 that they win Euro 2012.

Nevertheless, it was the Netherlands that made the final of the World Cup and it was disappointing that Bert van Marwijk’s team resorted to an aggressive style of play against the Spanish which meant justice was served when Andres Iniesta scored an extra-time winner for Spain. Paddy Power offer 7/1 that Holland go one better in Poland & Ukraine, providing that they manage to qualify from a group which includes Sweden and Finland.

The three big European disappointments at the World Cup were England, France and Italy. The English did make it beyond the group stages, although they were badly exposed by Germany and Fabio Capello is now under pressure to deliver in this tournament. Sporting Bet go 12/1 that the Three Lions are victorious, although there’s no certainty that they will qualify from a group which includes Switzerland and Bulgaria.

We should expect a completely different French team from the side that went on strike under Raymond Domenech. Although Laurent Blanc has to restore the confidence of supporters who saw their nation disgraced in south Africa, there are some talented players to call upon and Les Bleus are 14/1 with Stan James to win Euro 2012.

Cesare Prandelli has replaced Marcello Lippi as manager of Italy and he is likely to bring through plenty of young players as the Azzurri look to put the poor performances of the 2010 World Cup behind them. Paddy Power offer 11/1 that the 2006 World Cup winners are triumphant and we should expect an improved showing.

Portugal (12/1 bet365) and Russia (22/1 bet365) are the other teams worthy of consideration, although Carlos Queiroz might not be the right man to take the former forward after setting them up ultra-defensively against the Ivory Coast and Spain in the World Cup.

England v France
Wednesday, November 17th
Wembley

Online bookmaker SportingBet are offering a nice return of up to £25 in free bets when you open an account with them for the new football season. The England v France international friendly is a way off, but it is as good a time as any to get on board with one of the leading online bookmakers available. SportingBet provide great coverage on their football sports book, along with providing comprehensive statistical data including form, and some wonderful live in-play betting when you want to follow the action online. SportingBet also deliver a multitude of great football betting promotions to enhance your betting experience, such as cash-back offers on Goalscorer markets, and bonuses of accumulators.

England have confirmed that they will be taking on France in an international Friendly in November, which will constitute as their final match of 2010. For a year which will be remembered for nothing more than a miserable World Cup campaign, the time has come for England to rebuild under coach Fabio Capello, and there were positive signs that he was ready to put some trust in youngsters during a 2-1 International Friendly victory over Hungary recently. Wednesday, November 17th will see the two teams go head to head at Wembley, with England having a good head to head record against the French. England have won 16, drawn four and lost seven. There are three far more important games preceding that one for the new look England. England’s Euro 2012 campaign kicks off on September 3rd against Bulgaria. That match is at Wembley, and will be the first competitive match for Capello since crashing out of the World Cup to Germany. England then face a tricky away match against Switzerland on September 7th, before their last Euro 2012 qualifier of 2010 coming against Montenegro on October 12th. So now that the fuss and furore of the 2010 World Cup has died down, there are a busy couple of months ahead for Fabio Capello and England. They have a comfortable draw in their European qualification group, and there can be no room for error.

England are 12/1 at SportingBet to win Euro 2012

France, who suffered an even worse 2010 FIFA World Cup than England, failing to make it out of the group stage against South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay, are a team in transition themselves. Former coach Raymond Domenech, who was never popular with the French fans, has departed to make way for Laurent Blanc, who enjoyed a successful domestic season with Bordeaux. As well as not managing to qualifying for the second round of the World Cup, the squad became fractured when Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka apparently had words to say to the coach during one of the matches. Because of his supposed ill-discipline in speaking out about how poor France were doing, he was sent home from the World Cup in a cloud of disgrace. That wasn’t the end of it though, as his dismissal sparked a revolution by the rest of the squad, which resulted in them boycotting the next training session. Subsequently, Anelka has been banned for 18 matches by the French Football Federation. Similarly, Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery have also received lesser bans for apparently not fulfilling their roles as captain and vice-captain respectively. So France will be missing these banned players for the start of the Euro 2012 campaign.

France are 12/1 at SportingBet to win Euro 2012