Ireland

Ireland v Wales Six Nations rugby betting sees a cracker of a match on the first weekend of the this year’s tournament. Ireland coach Declan Kidney, has called upon some youth for his side, determined to ring in a new golden age of Irish rugby. The notable inclusions to the Irish squad have been wingers Simon Zebo and David Kearney and while Kidney will look to some of the old guard to nurture the youngsters, they will have to go without key man Brian O’Driscoll. O’Driscoll will miss the entire tournament because of a shoulder injury, so there is a big chance up for grabs in the back line. The likelihood is that it will be a relatively familiar Irish side challenging for the Six Nations as Kidney has not rang too many changes from the World Cup squad. It is Keith Earls who will fill O’Driscoll’s shoes, and there is no place in the starting fifteen for Ronan O’Gara, as Jonathan Sexton gets the start. Ireland of course scored a huge pool match victory over Australia, when the Irish pack destroyed their opponents up front. It wasn’t a particularly strong World Cup though as a whole from Ireland, bowing out in the quarter finals to Sunday’s opponents Wales. The Irish need to definitely show a step forward from last year’s Six Nations where there were troubles and inconsistencies a plenty. The Irish saved their best for the big matches against England and France, but struggled badly when they faced the weaker Scotland and Italy. The largest problem was that there was just too many simple errors, basic mistakes which disrupted the entire flow of the game. But the Irish game is a powerful one when it is on song, and if they come out of the blocks firing and take down an exciting young Welsh side, then it will do their confidence a whole world of good for the rest of the tournament. Ireland may well not be as good as they were a few years ago, but when they string things together, and get their backs like Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble running off the back of powerful forward work, they can compete at the highest level. The one thing about the Irish, is that while other nations in the tournament have gone for wholesale changes, Ireland have gone for consistency and continuity.

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Wales will have to head to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin without hooker Matthew Rees, which is a big blow for them. Rees, who picked up a calf strain, could well miss the opening two matches. While Wales covered themselves in a lot of glory at the World Cup, playing some fantastically exciting rugby, injuries have weakened them ahead of Ireland v Wales Six Nations rugby betting. Forwards Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris and Gethin Jenkins have already been scratched from the teem because of injury and there are doubts over whether flanker Dan Lydiate will be ready to go either. The backs have also been hit with injuries, as Jamie Roberts and Rhys Priestland may miss out on the Dublin test as well. So while Wales go into the 2012 Six Nations rugby betting as one of the favourites to land the title, it is going to be a tough opener for them. Coach Warren Gatland of course has experience to call on with the likes of Gavin Henson, Stephen Jones and James Hook, but the Wales coach can’t put out his preferred strongest side. That could spell a bit of trouble, because Ireland will be out for revenge, losing to Wales in controversial circumstances in last year’s Six Nations, and then exiting the 2011 World Cup to them as well. But Wales have developed a huge strength in their national game through their youth. They are powerful side up front, and very quick and mobile. Naturally with youth there comes the speed and enthusiasm as well in the running game, but they were guilty of over playing things at the World Cup and not doing the simple things well. One major feature of Wales’ World Cup campaign was their incredible defence. The scrambling, line defence and last ditch tackling was supreme and they will probably need plenty of that in order to hold things together against the Irish, who will be gunning hard for them. It is an evenly poised match in prospect.

In the Ireland v Wales head to head record it sees the two sides having come together 117 times before. It is Wales who lead the head to head, winning 64 to Ireland’s 47 triumphs. There really is nothing to split the two nations in terms of average points scored per match when they come together, Ireland average 10.59 points per game against Wales, while Wales average 11.71 points per game against Ireland. There were the two meetings between them last year of course, with Wales taking the spoils on both occasions. The last time they met in Ireland, the Irish ran out 27-12 winners.

Ireland v Wales Six Nations Rugby Betting Odds
Ireland to win: 8/15 at Stan James
Draw: 22/1 at Bet365
Wales to win: 9/4 at SportingBet

Ireland v Wales Six Nations Rugby Handicap Betting Odds
Ireland -4 for 10/11 at SkyBet

Ireland are in a strong position going into the second leg of their Euro 2012 play off match against Estonia on Tuesday night. The Irish secured a stranglehold of a 4-0 away win in Tallinn on Friday night, giving them an immense cushion for the return fixture back in Dublin. Ireland were helped by Estonia going down to nine men in the match, including the loss of their captain, so the potentially tricky tie was seen out with consummate ease in the end, including a brace from LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane. Now Ireland are red  hot favourites to win the second leg of this Euro 2012 play off at home, and online bookmaker Paddy Power have launched a Money Back Special for this one.

If Robbie Keane scores the final goal of the game on Tuesday night, then Paddy power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match, giving you some wonderful coverage on your Ireland v Estonia betting. It means that you can dip into the First Goalscorer Market for example with the insurance from the Money Back Special in mind, and see options like Robbie Keane at 7/2, Kevin Doyle 9/2 and Jon Walters 11/2 to open the scoring. With Ireland’s emphatic victory from the first leg, they will be expected to get on the score sheet again, which means there is good value in the Correct Score Market for your Ireland v Estonia betting. Again, the Paddy Power Money Back Special covers this market, if your bet loses but Robbie Keane scores the final goal of the game. An Ireland 2-0 victory, which seems like a very plausible outcome, fetches a healthy 9/2 with Paddy Power in the Correct Score Market.

So plenty of good options around for your Ireland v Estonia betting, all with the insurance from the Paddy Power Money Back Special. Ireland look as if they have done more than half the job necessary to book their place at next summer’s Euro 2012 finals, but there are still betting opportunities to be taken advantage of! Highly rated online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet as a sign up bonus for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50, giving you some great free betting cash to enjoy!

Ireland v Estonia Betting Odds at Paddy Power
Ireland 2/5, Draw 16/5, Estonia 9/1

With a four goal haul against Estonia, the Republic of Ireland look set to take their place in the finals of Euro 2012. The emphatic showing of force from Giovanni Trapattoni’s men in Tallinn, has all but secured their play off win. The Irish were in full control for most the of match, giving an accomplished display against what could have been tricky opposition. But after Keith Andrews had fired the Irish in front inside of fifteen minutes of kick off, there was no looking back, as the Irish ran out 4-0 winners, with Robbie Keane getting a brace. It is only half time in the fixture, but you can’t see any way that Estonia will be able to muster a response. What was perhaps the most pleasing thing about Ireland’s performance was how calm they all were. The goal haul would have been very pleasing for Trapattoni, who saw his side dry up during the closing stages of group qualification for Euro 2012. Now with that big win under their belt, there should be an even bigger sense of relaxation when they turn around for the second leg in Dublin on Tuesday night. While Ireland were favourites to qualify through the play off match, it was surprising the margin of victory as Estonia had ran up some impressive results during the group. The hosts weren’t helped by being reduced to ten men, losing a player in each half of the match. The visiting Irish were steady and composed enough to silence the home crowd and simply get the job done, and it means that Ireland now have conceded just one goal in their last ten matches now. So the return leg should be pretty much a foregone conclusion for your Ireland v Estonia betting. After losing their captain to a red card, the visitors must feel a bit deflated so would expect another comfortable Ireland win. Ireland’s defensive record at the moment does look to be under any great threat, but they could take the night off and still get through this one.

Ireland v Estonia Betting
Ireland to win: 4/9 at Totesport
Draw: 10/3 at Bet365
Estonia to win: 9/1 at Victor Chandler

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Irish Online bookmaker Paddy Power are running a wonderful Money Back Special for Estonia v Ireland Euro 2012 Play Offs first leg. Giovanni Trapattoni’s men head to Tallinn for Friday night’s first leg, hoping to establish a good base to build upon back in Dublin next week. Estonia have been the surprise package of the tournament and therefore Ireland will have to face the tricky atmosphere and conditions out in Estonia. There is no snow predicted in the chilly Estonian winter for the first leg, so Ireland will be expected to get a result out of the game. Both of the two nations finished second in their respective groups in qualification, but Estonia really were the surprise package. With some tough nations left in the final eight who are scrapping for the remaining places at next year’s finals, Ireland definitely drew the best draw in taking Estonia. So they have to put this to bed and bury the nightmare of their 2010 World Cup play off against France.

If Ireland win the match in Tallinn on Friday, Online bookmaker Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed as pre match bets. This is a tremendous bit of insurance to take, as Ireland are favourites to win the match. It means that you can dip into the likes of the First Goalscorer market, where Leon Best and Shane Long are favourites at 7/1. The two nations have only met twice before, and both of those matches were won by Ireland 2-0, so backing that same score line fetches a very handsome 17/2 with Paddy Power as a Correct Score bet. Remember that these bets would be covered by the insurance from Paddy Power’s Estonia v Ireland Money Back Special. If Ireland win and any of your bets in the aforementioned markets lose, then you’ll get your lost stake back as a free bet. Tremendous value, well worth snapping up for your Estonia v Ireland betting.

Estonia v Ireland Outright Winner Odds (First Leg)
Estonia 11/5, Draw 21/10, Ireland 7/5

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This is the Republic of Ireland’s big opportunity to reach next summer’s Euro 2012 finals and at least banish some of those memories of missing out at the 2010 World Cup in that infamous play off against France. Giovanni Trapattoni’s men really should be in the driving seat for their Euro2012 play off as they were handed the best draw they possibly could have hoped for. Ireland face surprise package  Estonia in Tallinn on Friday night, after squeezing through behind Italy in group C, being helped out by a final group match loss for Serbia. So Estonia get their taste of action as they stand on the brink of making a major final for the first time. Estonia did a pretty decent job of getting out of their group actually, winning half of their matches, when no-one really gave them much of a chance against the likes of Italy, Slovenia and Serbia. But they held their own, benefited from a little bit of good fortune in the end and now stand on something history. But one they which they will have to try and curtail, is their excitement at their big fixture at home on Friday. They can’t let the occasion derail them that easily against the Irish, because falling at the first hurdle would be a huge disappointment for them. They are not infallible at home, they lost twice there during the group stage. But all you can say about them is that they are a bit hit and miss, because they did beat Slovenia and Serbia during the group stage, but they also suffered a huge embarrassment when they lost against the Faroe Islands. While they haven’t had too much of a problem finding the back of the net, there are definitely holes at the back, which the pace of Ireland should be able to exploit on Friday night.

Estonia really have come from nowhere to be in this position, and so there should be a big spirited effort from them, and Ireland may have to weather a bit of an early, enthusiastic storm. Estonia lost a recently friendly match against the Ukraine (and Estonia have heavily lost their last handful of international friendly matches, without making a mark of their own).  Giovanni Trapattoni has called up Shane Long and Robbie Keane to his squad after both of them were injury concerns. Keane is also suspended for the first leg anyway, but looks fit enough after watching him help the LA Galaxy win their Conference title in the MLS. Fellow striker Kevin Doyle also misses the first leg through suspension. Ireland did get the job done well in the end, in Group B, although they did have a bit of a stutter towards the end. They did get over the line and into second place behind Russia though, and you would expect them to squeeze through against Estonia. If they get at worst a score draw, you would still strongly back them to take the second leg back in Dublin. The two sides have met before, back in 2000/01 in World Cup Qualifiers. On those occasions, Ireland won both legs 2-0 and wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the same really this time around in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. If Ireland make it through, it will be their first European Championship finals since 1988. With the strengths of sides like Serbia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey fighting for spots, Ireland really have to take advantage of this draw.

Estonia v Republic of Ireland Euro 2012  Qualification Betting Odds
Estonia to win: 5/2 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 11/5 at Totesport
Ireland: 7/5 at Boylesports

There is a tremendous Money Back Special running for this match at Irish bookie Paddy Power. If Ireland win this first leg of the Euro 2012 play offs, then the bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles which have been placed on the match. Superb value with Ireland going into the match as firm favourites, so you can take advantage of this good insurance. Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account with a free bet up to the value of £50.

The Euro 2012 Play Off draw, with the ties to played on November 11/12 and the second legs on November 15, sees the last eight teams shooting for a place at next summer’s finals. Most of the excitement on the final night of Euro 2012 qualification was in Groups D and H, where France were trying to hold on to top spot against Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Portugal was trying to battle Denmark for that automatic place at next summer’s finals. So we know the identities of ten of the teams who will join the co hosts at Poland and Ukraine 2012 (nine group winners plus Sweden as the best runner up), and now the final eight have one last chance to book their place at the finals. There are strong teams left in here and there should be some very evenly matched contests. We have one home nation involved, with Giovanni Trapattoni trying to guide Ireland through to the finals, but having to contest against some poor major tournament play off history. Four places up for grabs, and the action will start up against on November 11th and 12th. Here is a look at the Euro 2012 play off draw and your early betting options.

Turkey v Croatia
Turkey did enough from Group A, finishing well behind Germany but holding on to second place. Croatia battled their way through from qualifying Group F, finishing two points behind Greece, with the Greeks squeezing out a 2-1 win in Georgia in their final game to book top spot. But Croatia were on a run of good form going into the final matches, and Turkey will need to take advantage of being at home in the first leg here.  There is good history here between these two, as Croatia were knocked out on penalties in the quarter finals of Euro 2008. Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has been eyeing revenge over the Turks for that, because Croatia had scored in the 119th minute, because Turkey replied right at the very death of extra time. Interestingly too, Turkey were Croatia’s first ever Euro 2012 opponents, after the Croats had made it to the finals for the first time in Euro 96. Croatia won 1-0. The two sides have met only four times in total, with one win each and two draws. Going to be a tough encounter for these two sides. Croatia probably just have a technical edge though.
Play Off Records: Croatia P2 W2, Turkey P4 W2 L2
Tip: Croatia to Qualify 4/6 at Bet365 (Turkey 11/10 at Bet365)

Estonia v Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland secured their place at Euro 2012 with a 2-1 win over Armenia in their final match. That was the big crunch match on the final day, to see who would take second spot behind Russia in a very competitive group. Estonia pushed their way into the finals from Group C behind Italy, as Serbia failed to get the win they needed against Slovenia on the final day of qualifying matches, which sent Estonia (who had already completed their games) through. This is a massive chance for Estonia to reach their first ever major finals, and they have proved to be quite a handy side through qualification. Estonia pretty much got the play off draw that they wanted, eyeing up Ireland as the best chance that they would have to progress. Ireland was who Estonia coach Tarmo Ruutli wanted in the play offs, because they should be able to match styles with Ireland. Estonia play quite a fast paced, physical British style of the game, and therefore should fancy their chances. But Ireland, being one of the seeded teams have the advantage of playing away in the first leg. The goals dried up for Ireland in their group when they needed them the most, but fought their way to the play offs. However, the Irish do not have a great record in the play offs, but have beaten Estonia on their only two previous meetings. They were paired together for the 2002 World Cup Qualification, with Ireland winning both home and away. Only Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Kevin Kilbane remain in the Irish set up since that last encounter with Estonia back in 2001. This has been quite an adventure for Estonia though, as they were on a five match losing streak earlier in the year (including a defeat against the Faroe Islands).
Play Off Records: Estonia P0, Republic of Ireland P5 W1 L4
Tip: Ireland to Qualify 4/9 at Stan James (Estonia 9/4 at Victor Chandler)

Czech Republic v Montenegro
Montenegro, thanks to a couple of draws against Group Winners England will contest their play off match against the Czech Republic. The Czech’s squeezed their way into the play offs behind Spain, but really made hard work of things. Therefore this should be an evenly contested match. Montenegro showed signs of maturing into a good international side with their performances against England, notably how they played at Wembley, but new coach Michal Bilek, who only took over for their final two Euro 2012 qualification matches, may be a bit worried about their lack of goals. That is something they need to work on. As for the Czech Republic, well they were shown up by Spain and Scotland really in their group, as the Czech won only half of their eight matches (including a home loss against Lithuania). They don’t look very strong at all at the moment, and if they had been in a more competitive group, you would have to believe that they could well have missed out. Really hard to pick a winner out of these two, neither have a lot of firepower and both have leaky defences. The two nations have never met before at the senior international level, so it will be interesting to see who draws first blood. Good chance for Montenegro to take what they would consider to be a big scalp though, especially with playing the second leg at home. The Czech’s do have experience of play offs, while this is the first time that Montenegro will face the high pressure.
Play Off Records: Montenegro P0, Czech Republic P2 W1 L1
Tip: Czech Republic To Qualify 4/7 at Paddy Power (Montenegro 7/4 at Victor Chandler)

Bosnia and Herzegovina v Portugal
The final night of Euro 2012 qualifiers threw up some great excitement, none least in Group D where France and Bosnia met in Paris in a shoot out for top spot. After Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko has put Bosnia ahead in Paris, France just managed to hang on to the top spot in the group thanks to a equaliser by Dzeko’s club team mate, Samir Nasri who fired home from the Penalty spot, just twelve minutes from time. So that sent Bosnia through to the play offs, but they were oh so close to getting an automatic spot. This is the fixture than is perhaps the most attractive of the four. Most of the teams in the draw wanted to avoid playing Portugal, but from Portugal’s point of view, they have gotten one of the toughest opponents. Portugal blew their chance of securing the automatic place at next year’s finals, as they went to Copenhagen for their final match of qualifying, level on points with Denmark. However, it was the strong looking Danes who ran out 2-1 winners in the decisive match of the group leaving Portugal level on points with Norway, but just taking the play off spot because of goal difference. This should be an epic encounter as Bosnia and Herzegovina look to book their place at their first major final since gaining their independence. This is where the history between these adds a little extra spice to this match. The closest Bosnia have come to a major final was the 2010 World Cup, but they lost in a play off there against, yes, Portugal. Bosnia will start at home, which may work against them, and they have suspensions at the back which won’t help. Portugal boss Paulo Bento still has a lot of work to do with his side, as they were favourites to win their qualifying group, but failed to do so, in what was an arduously competitive campaign. Portugal won both 2010 World Cup qualification play off matches against Bosnia 1-0. A mouth watering encounter here. Portugal aren’t the strongest side, and the technically strong and organised Bosnians will present a real challenge.
Play Offs Record: Bosnia and Herzegovina P1 L1, Portugal P1 W1
Tip: Portugal to Qualify 4/9 at Boylesports (Bosnia 2/1 at Bet365)

Qualified Teams for Euro 2012
Poland and Ukraine (hosts), Spain, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Netherlands, Greece, England, Denmark, Sweden (as best runners up).

Euro 2012 Outright Winner Odds
Spain 5/2, Germany 4/1, Holland 56/1, England 10/1, France 12/1, Italy 11/1, Portugal 20/1, Russia 28/1 at Bet365

Republic of Ireland v Armenia betting on Tuesday, focuses on the attempts of the Irish to hang on to second spot in Group B. After a valuable 2-0 away win in Andorra on Friday night, the Irish occupy second place in the group, two points behind leaders Russia. Russia play Andorra though, so will be expected to pick up three routine points, leaving Ireland needing a draw to leave them in second play. A second place finish in the group will see Ireland head to a play off match against one of the other Runner’s Up from Euro 2012 qualifiers, to try and make next year’s finals. However, Tuesday’s opponents Armenia, are proving to be no pushovers in the group. Armenia sit just one point back of Ireland, and so absolutely have to win if they want to take second spot. Armenia warmed up well on Friday night, thumping Macedonia 4-1, and showing their intent to hit Dublin and get the result they need. Armenia are the top scoring nation in Group B of Euro 2012 qualifiers and that is something which the Republic of Ireland need to watch out for. In contrast, Ireland have found the goals hard to come by themselves, having scored just two in their last three qualifiers now, with that win in Andorra. They have been rocked a little bit with the news that striker Robbie Keane may not be fit enough to make the starting line up. The LA Galaxy striker picked up a problem in Friday’s win over Andorra and is now a very strong doubt to face Armenia, according to boss Giovanni Trapattoni. With Keane aside, Trapattoni does have a full squad to chose from, as they have seen the return of Jonathan Walters who missed Friday’s match. Ireland also get Richard Dunne back after suspension as well, so will look strong for Tuesday’s match. When the two sides met in the very first match of Euro 2012 qualifying, Ireland picked up a vitally important 1-0 away win, and Ireland need to show some of that same defensive fortitude. Armenia are on a good run of form at the moment, and won’t be easy opponents for Ireland to handle. Armenia have won two, lost one and drawn one of the road in qualifying, the same record that Ireland has a home. Can the Irish hang on and battle it out for that draw? You would expect that with the home crowd behind them that they would be strong enough, but Armenia are a very handy side. It would be a bitter blow to fail at this point, and it will come down to the Irish defence and keeping the Armenian attack quiet. There should not be any settling for the draw from the kick off from Ireland, and would expect them to at least secure that one point.

Ireland v Armenia Euro 2012 Qualifier Betting
Ireland to win: 4/6 at Boylesports
Draw: 3/1 at Bet365
Armenia to win: 9/2 at Boylesports

Online bookie Boylesports are offering a First Scorer Cash Back on all live televised Euro 2012 qualifier matches, including Ireland v Armenia. If the player you back as First Scorer in a match does not score the first goal, but does net the second goal of the match, then Boylesports will refund your lost First Goalscorer stake as a free bet. Nice bit of coverage if you are looking at the market for any of the remaining Euro 2012 matches on Tuesday. With Kevin Doyle at 5/1 and Jon Walters at 6/1, there is good value in the market. Boylesports also offer a free £20 bet for new customers when registering an account.

We keep waiting for Ireland to wake up and play like we know they can. They were made to look very laborious in their opening match against the USA, in which the Americans played with a tremendous amount of spirit, even though they never threatened that often themselves. The USA were more than happy to take on the Irish up front though, and if lesser teams are willing to do that, targeting weakness in the Irish game, then Ireland could be a lot of trouble. It is no secret that they are not in the greatest form of their lives, but they are still expected to follow Australia through from their pool. So this is being billed as the big clash, with first place at stake from this one. Ireland’s 22-10 win over the United States should have been more convincing from the Europeans, but they still look a long way short on confidence and a cohesive game plan. Still, coach Declan Kidney will  no doubt be happy to have at least gotten that first match win under his belt, so that he can move ahead. Ireland are still in with a more than reasonable chance to move ahead to the quarter finals, but their big match will come against Italy. As for Australia, well, our tip for the RWC title got off to a convincing enough start, thumping Italy 32-6 and picking up a bonus point in the process. Really Australia should not lose this group, as the Tri Nations team have been growing in stature all year. They are such an exciting young side, with great individual talent, superb running lines and with the ability to attack from deep. You would still want to see a world class goal kicker in their side to make them even better, but that shouldn’t effect them too much until later in the tournament when games get harder. Australia are firm favourites to take victory against the Irish here, the Wallabies will be more suited to the conditions and in much more of a confident mood than the Irish. You can see that in their body language and team spirit. The Wallabies have the strength to bully Ireland up front and smash through any cracks, but it is in the open where they will really be able to punish the Europeans.

Australia v Ireland Rugby World Cup betting odds
Australia to win: 1/5 at SkyBet
Draw: 28/1 at Bet365
Ireland to win: 11/2 at SportingBet

The two nations have come together 29 times before in internationals, with Australia winning 20 and Ireland winning just 8, with one draw. Their last meeting was a 22-15 win for the Wallabies back in June of 2010, and the match before that was a tense 20-20 draw. The last Irish success was back in 2006 when they won 21-6 at home, but we are not seeing the Ireland we are accustomed to at the moment. There have been some good tussles between these two, but Australia definitely have the edge, averaging 6.86 points more per game when the two sides meet.

There are some big Euro 2012 qualification matches coming up for the home nations over the next few days, and online bookmaker Paddy Power are leading off with a great football betting promotion. Paddy Power are offering a Euro 2012 Qualifiers money back special on the forthcoming matches for England and Ireland. England are out in Bulgaria on Friday evening, looking for a big win which would help keep Montenegro off their backs. England are level with Montenegro at the top of the group, and cannot afford any more slip ups, but have been dealt a blow with news that striker Darren Bent may not be able to take part because of injury. There is a big three points on the line in Sofia. On Friday night, Ireland have some home comforts as they take on Slovakia. Ireland too have everything to play for, as they top their group on goal difference, but are level on points with Russia and Slovakia. A win here for Ireland would keep their noses in front and really hinder Slovakia, and it would also serve as a massive confidence booster ahead of a long trip to Russia on Tuesday. As things are set up, the Russia v Ireland match on Tuesday could well be a group decider, and Ireland need one of their biggest four days in international football if they want to guarantee their place at next Summer’s Euro 2012 Championships. On Tuesday there is also a British derby taking place at Wembley Stadium, which should be a raucous affair. England v Wales will help determine whether England are going to book top spot in their group, but after having beaten Wales away, they know that the Welsh will be keen to turn up and spoil their party in London. So these are big matches ahead for Ireland and England, and doing your Euro 2012 betting at Paddy Power will offer some insurance. If Ireland or England lead at half time in either of their next two matches, but fail to go on and win their match, then Paddy Power will offer refunds on all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles which have been placed on the match. This applies to the Bulgaria v England and Ireland v Slovakia matches on Friday, and the Russia v Ireland and England v Wales matches on Tuesday. This Euro 2012 Qualifiers money back special from Paddy Power allows you to dip into the aforementioned markets and take some coverage. Both England and Ireland really need to step on the gas in qualification, so get your betting coverage at Paddy Power. The highly rated online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a £50 free matched bet when opening a new account. New customers can register and when they place a first stake of up to £50, Paddy Power will match the value of this stake up to that maximum.

Scotland v Ireland rugby betting is a great international warm up ahead of the World Cup later in the year. The 2011 World Cup in New Zealand is at the front of everybody’s mind at the moment, and Scotland, who are in England’s group, will be looking to build some confidence. There was a lot of hype around Scotland in the Six Nations, after they gave France a really good test in their opening 2011 Six Nations match in Paris. Scotland battled so well up front and surprisingly ran in three tries against the French. For a nation which has really struggled to post tries in the Six Nations, that was a great introduction. Yes, they did come as the result of French mistakes largely, Scotland still fought their way to line to pick up points. However, things did not go quite to plan in terms of picking up points for Andy Robinson’s men in the rest of the tournament. Scotland secured just one win, picking up that solitary victory against Italy at Murrayfield. They did also give Ireland a good run for their money losing by just three points at home. Scotland battled with everything against England at Twickenham and did keep the score respectable when many expected England to run riot. So there were signs of optimism that Scotland are still heading in the right direction. Scoring will still be a problem for them against the top sides in the world, but with Georgia and Romania in their group, there is a good chance of progression for Scotland at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Scotland will be tough and will naturally try to crap it out as much as possible up front.

Scotland v Ireland rugby betting will favour the Irish. They are the fourth ranked team in the world, but it hasn’t been a great year or so for them. They are putting their players through the mill ahead of the World Cup, by setting up four international matches as a warm up, including two matches against France and one in Dublin against England. They are going full tilt at this in order to wake themselves up a bit. Their triumph over England in Dublin in the final match of the 2011 RBS Six Nations was their best performance. They struggled against Italy, struggled against Wales and Scotland as well, but showed that old magic when completely out smarting England when it mattered most. Ireland did still manage to squeeze out three wins, suffering defeat against France and Wales. There is undoubted talent in the side and they should be far more explosive than Saturday’s opponents Scotland. The problem for Ireland has been cohesion and not being able to string consistent patches of play together. When they do get it all together with a strong plan, as a unit, then they are a big threat. They are definitely not the force they were, with their golden age of rugby fading, so they are a side in transition. Still, this is a repeat of the match back in February at Murrayfield, where Ireland just about hung on for a win. They should be more relaxed here and willing to try things without too much consequence, and therefore would back the Irish in Scotland v Ireland rugby betting.

Scotland v Ireland Rugby Betting
Scotland to win: 6/5 at Stan James
Draw: 20/1 at SkyBet
Ireland to win: 10/11 at Paddy Power

Scotland v Ireland have come together 125 times in rugby history. Scotland are actually the ones with the overall upper hand in the head to head stats. Ireland have won 56, while Scotland have won 64 matches, with five being draw. There really is nothing to split the two nations when it comes to average points per game. Ireland have scored an average of 10.42 points per game against Scotland, while the Scots average 10.94 points against Ireland. The last time they met was earlier in the year, when Ireland hung on for a 21-18 victory at Murrayfield.