rbs six nations

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.

We may only be in the midst of the autumn tests, but already betting is hotting up ahead of the Six Nations in the new year with England now no bigger than with 10/3  with bodog to lift the crown in the spring. That support comes on the back of a spirited display by the men in white against the All Blacks at the weekend. Though eventually going down by 10 points to the new Tri-Nations champions, Martin Johnson‘s new-look side showed a commendable attitude to limit New Zealand‘s scoring opportunities after it look as though the tourists would run away with the game at half-time. Indeed, one could argue the result would have been a lot closer had French referee Romain Poite awarded a penalty try for Isaia Toeava‘s shoulder charge on Shontayne Hape in the corner five minutes from the end. Johnson, though, declared himself happy enough with his team’s performance and that support can only grow if England run the Wallabies, themselves undergoing a period of transition, close at Twickenham next week.

Australia’s victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium probably didn’t tell us much we didn’t already know. The Welsh were seriously under-strength in Cardiff and will still be without several key figures when they entertain South Africa next. One pleasing aspect of the Welsh play was their forwards’ domination of the Australian scrum but the Wallabies do have major problems in that area and you would feel that is where England will profit against them in their upcoming meeting. It’s not easy to speculate how Wales may fare in the Six Nations as Warren Gatland should have more of his first-choice players available by then. But his team need to eradicate the basic errors that have blighted their progress over the last 18 months if they are to be competitive again at the top level and most bookmakers are prepared to give you 6/1 that they get it right in time for next year.

Ireland were the other of the northern hemisphere teams in action over the weekend but I wouldn’t expect punters to be falling over themselves to grab the 3/1 Six Nations quote from Bet365, Stan James and Coral. It’s generally acknowledged that South Africa are in a bit of a mess at the moment so it was all the more disappointing that Declan Kidney‘s men allowed themselves to be dominated for an hour before mustering a late rally that came withing a crossbar’s width of earning an undeserved draw. Ireland’s pack will have to up their game ahead of the spring if they are going to get the new Aviva Stadium rocking as much as Lansdowne Road and challenge holders France (5/2 with Ladbrokes) for RBS Six Nations’ favouritism.

After blowing their chance to win the Six Nations, England head  to Paris on Saturday evening with nothing else on their minds apart from spoiling France’s ambition of securing the Grand Slam in the 2010 RBS Six Nations. England could only muster up a scrappy draw against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend, which left the door open for the French to win the Grand Slam title, which they did with a hefty win over Italy as expected. With such a strong points difference, the result of the Six Nations won’t change, even if France lose and Ireland win on Saturday, as the French will still take the title, despite finishing on the same points as the Irish. But the French will want to secure the Grand Slam on home turf against England.

England have made a couple of changes to the line-up. After a horrific looking clash of heads against the Scots, winger Ugo Monye misses the fixture, and boss Martin Johnson has called upon the service of Northampton winger Chris Ashton. The former rugby league star had a slow start to his Union career after making the switch, but now his promotion to gain his first cap, comes after persistence and a will to stick by his decision. Ashton was reportedly considering a move back to Rugby league last year, but has come up trumps after becoming the leading winger in the Premiership this season. A return of 19 tries in his 25 matches this season, sees him called up, and the extra bonus for England fans is that he will get to team up with team mate Ben Foden who comes in for a start at full-back. England’s backs have so far looked weak, simply because they have not had the game plan in place to take advantage of their best skills, and that is down to management and coaching.

Full back Foden, in his limited appearances in the Six Nations as replacement, has looked to have exactly what England need. A quality ball carrier. Foden has carrier the ball back from deep with some threat, in contrast to Delon Armitage who has looked nervous and has kicked the ball away at every opportunity. Foden and Ashton could be the perfect tonic for England, even if, unfortunately, it has taken injuries for Johnson to force these changes. The fact that Ashton and Foden play together, could bring a bit of confidence for the starting debutants. Foden teamed up well with Ben Youngs when Youngs came on to play out of position as a replacement for Monye against the Scots. Not since Jason Robinson retired, has England had a genuine running threat from the back who can initiate counter attacks, and Foden has a big chance to make a big impression in that department. The full back position is there to make his own.

Another notable chance is at the fly half position, where under fire Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped in favour of Toby Flood. Wilkinson went off injured at Murrayfield, after again failing to inject any life into the backs. While the fingers have all been pointed at him, the rest of the three quarters have been leaving him isolated, which has caused break down after breakdown in midfield, so Wilkinson is not entirely to blame. It will be hoped that youngster Flood gets more response out of his back line, and is quicker and sharper than Wilkinson around the fringe of play, although he probably doesn’t quite have the same weigh in the defensive departments as what Wilkinson has. Matthew Tait, who hasn’t had the ball in hand to make any impact, also drops out of the backs, as Johnson looks for power in the midfield. In comes Gloucester’s Mike Tindall to add some bulk, as England will need to counter France’s battering ram, Mathieu Bastareaud.

England are still awaiting a late fitness test on Captain Steve Borthwick, who has had his leg in a brace the past couple of days. It is still unknown whether or not he will be able to take part in the match. England has promised displays of running, attacking rugby, but they have not produced. The likes of Flutey, Tait, Cueto, Foden and Ashton are players who need the ball in hand, but England’s style of play just hasn’t allowed the ball to get to the backs. This is Johnson’s last chance for a while to get his team playing the way he wants. Will they go out with a bang? Or will they revert back to their boring kicking game when things don’t go right in the early stages? The French have been the most powerful, most consistent team in the Six Nations this season, and for England to go to Paris and steal a victory, would be a momentous occasion, and an upset in form. France have a gutsy, physical and quick defence and England’s lack of attacking prowess is not really fancied against them.

France are seeking their ninth Grand Slam, and make only one change to the line up from their last match against Italy. It is centre Mathieu Bastareaud, who comes back into the side after resting last weekend in order to protect a slight injury. Boss Marc Lievremont will be aware that England have gotten the better of the French in the last two outings, including a big win on England’s last visit to Paris, and the thumping the England gave them at Twickenham last year in the Six Nations. The tables look to have turned though, with the French being favourites in the Six Nations betting to win in their own back yard, and to deservedly clinch the Grand Slam.

France v England Betting Stats

France: 35 victories
Drawn: 7
England: 50 victories

France biggest winning margin: 31-6
England biggest winning margin: 37-0

France average points v England: 11.89
England average points v France: 15.09

2009 Six Nations Result
England 34, France 10

Match Prices
France to win: 1/5 at BetFred
Draw: 33/1 at Bet365
England to win: 13/2 at SportingBet

Wales will look to avoid any worries over finishing with the wooden spoon, by delivering where Scotland failed, in beating Italy. How times have changed for Wales though, as just two years ago the Welsh destroyed the Italians at the Millennium Stadium on their way to a Grand Slam. Now, Wales are struggling to pick up wins, their only success coming in a last gasp attempt against the Scots, a result they were lucky to escape Murrayfield with. Coach Warren Gatland must be one of the most frustrated coaches in the Six Nations, even more so than England’s Martin Johnson. Gatland has seen his side fall foul of ill-discipline time and time again during this Six Nations campaign, and they keep digging their own holes which they cannot get out of.

Wales have not played with any of the fluency and confidence they had during their Grand Slam winning 2007 and their defence has been leaking tries. It is hard to focus on a single area in which Wales have failed, as they have only produced fleeting glimpses of their true potential, and that has come when their backs have been against the wall. They managed an unlikely comeback against the Scots, but could not claw their way back from self inflicted deficits against England, France and Ireland. The Welsh simply need to reboot, and Gatland has tried to shake things up by giving teenage winger Tom Prydie a start, after only playing in three top flight matches for his club side Ospreys. Both sides will avoid the wooden spoon if Scotland lost to Ireland as expected, but that is not what either team should be focusing on.

Both sides need to be looking forward, and Gatland is trying to keep a lot of faith in the same players that have failed throughout the championship so far. They use the same rush defence as France, but their ability to execute it as well, clearly is not there, and it is the type of thing that looks horrible when it goes wrong, as it leads to mass exposure behind the gain line. Italy coach Nick Mallett has shaken things up after probably their worst performance in the past 12 months against the French last weekend. France won 46-20 in Rome last week, but Italy’s victory over Scotland has meant that they will probably miss out on the wooden spoon. Mallett had initially made five changes to his side, but Carlo Del Fava and Paul Derbyshire, who impressed off the bench last week, will both miss out on their starts through injury. Nonetheless, Italy have every right to go into this match full of confidence that they can pick up a second win. Italy have to learn their lessons and get back to their strongest assets, their defence. There was no real shame in being undone by the French, as long as they use it a learning tool.

For the Welsh however, more will be expected. Home turf and the opportunity to go out with a final flourish, will probably save some jobs. The changes the Italians have made are quite progressive ones in taking the team forward, the Welsh need to see their players take some responsibility on their own shoulders and do what the coach is asking of them. If they can keep the ball in hand, then the Welsh should be able to break down the Italians eventually, even if it doesn’t come early on when the Italians are fresh. The Italians are renowned for picking up wins away from home, and in all likelihood they will give a good account of themselves, but finishing as the brave but losing side again. The two sides have equally bad defensive records in this year’s Six Nations, but Wales should edge it with a little more firepower.

Wales v Italy Betting Stats

Wales: 13 Victories
Drawn: 1
Italy: 2 Victories

Wales biggest winning margin v Italy: 47-8
Italy biggest winning margin v Italy: 30-22

Wales average points v Italy: 33.38
Italy average points v Wales: 18.38

2009 Six Nations Result
Italy 15, Wales 20

Match Prices
Wales to win: 1/8 at BetFred
Draw: 33/1 at Bet365
Italy to win: 9/1 at SportingBet

One of the other success stories of the weekend’s 2010 RBS Six Nations, aside from France trying to secure the Grand Slam, will be Ireland targeting the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown is won by one of the home nations beating the other three, and Ireland are in a position to that, and will be some consolation after seeing their Six Nations hopes fade away. Ireland crashed badly against France in Paris to ruin their Grand Slam ambitions, but responded with a clinical display against Wales, highlighting the difference between the two teams. Ireland looked to have quickly learned from their mistakes from the French game, whereas Wales, who are looking to fight off the wooden spoon, do not appear to have learned from any mistakes from their disappointing Six Nations campaign this year.

Ireland will secure the Triple crown with victory over Scotland, a side they often fail to ignite their best form against. The Irish are awaiting a late fitness test of the influential Gordon D’Arcy for the game at Croke Park on Saturday, who got injured in their victory over Wales. The match for the Irish, if they win, will be another feather in the cap for the team which went into the Six Nations as joint favourites at the bookmakers with France. There is some suggestion that the golden era of Irish rugby is coming to and end with the age of the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and Ronan O’Gara, who have been leading the Irish for more than a decade. The French proved too powerful for them however, but their experience and quality has led them to secure victories in their other three Six Nations encounters.

For the Scots, they will consider their lowest point of the championships, the defeat in Rome against Italy, which has potentially left them with the wooden spoon. This will be bitterly disappointing to coach Andy Robinson, who was hoping that his influence would take the Scottish forward. They have not, by any stretch of the imagination been the worst team in the tournament. They made offensive mistakes against England in a game which they could easily have won, they had the Welsh on the ropes until the final minutes and they evenly matched the Italians. While their style is not as dynamic and all round moulded as the French and the Irish, they probably deserve more than finishing bottom. Will they be able to avoid defeat against the Irish?

The Scots are brave and if this match was at Murrayfield, then they would probably be in with more of a shout of over turning the Irish. Scotland like breaking up an Irish party though, and they will give it their best shot again. They showed against England that they can defend well, but, also like the English they need to be able to find that clinical edge to be able to win games. Scoring just two tries in four games, which the Scottish have done, is not going to bring any team much success. After only winning one match in last year’s tournament, the Scottish supporters will be feeling extremely downbeat if they end the 2010 RBS Six Nations on a lesser note than that.

Ireland v Scotland Betting Stats

Ireland: 55 Wins
Drawn: 5
Scotland: 63 Wins
Ireland biggest winning margin v Scotland: 36-6
Scotland biggest winning margin v Ireland: 38-10

Ireland average points v Scotland: 10.25
Scotland avergage points v Ireland: 10.79

2009 Six Nations Result
Scotland 15, Ireland 22

Ireland to win: 1/7 at BetFred
Draw: 33/1 at Bet365
Scotland to win: 8/1 at Sporting Bet

France’s dreams of winning the Six Nations this year, was made a little easier, after they watched England fail to beat Scotland at Murrayfield. In a tense game, which lacked any attacking quality, England stumbled again, failing to bounce back fully from the defeat that was handed to them by Ireland at Twickenham in the previous match. England were hopeful of going to the final day of the Six Nations with a chance of taking the title, but the draw has left them needing a miracle from Italy. A win for the French over Italy, which is more than probable, means that even if they fail to beat England in Paris next week, the French can still take the title. The only team that can catch them now mathematically will be Ireland, who demolished Wales 27-12 on the weekend. However the Irish don’t have such a good points difference, which means that Les Blues should pick up the title, but they will want the Grand Slam.

Italy are actually fourth in the league, having beaten the Scots, and find themselves ahead of Wales on points difference, and should avoid the wooden spoon. The upset of them beating the powerful French is not very likely at all, and it should be an easy afternoon for the French, in taking a major step towards securing the title. French coach Marc Lievremont will likely see his nation extend their unblemished record against Italy in the six nations, and having won all their games this season, they have looked head and shoulder above the quality of everyone else. They will be deserving of picking up the Grand Slam if it happens, and there will, no doubt, be one eye on next weekend’s big Paris clash with England. Even if some of the meaning has gone, with regards to a Six Nations title showdown, they will still want the Grand Slam. Defeating England will always be an enjoyable moment for the French too. France beat Italy 50-8 during last year’s Six Nations campaign, and they are a much stronger side this year.

France to win: 1/41 at Coral
Draw: 66/1 at Ladbrokes
Italy: 33/1 at SportingBet

Ireland v Wales. Irish stalwart Brian O’Driscoll will step out to earn the 100th cap for his country on Saturday, as Ireland v Wales takes place at Croke Park. This is a crucial game for Ireland if they still have dreams of retaining their Six Nations title, which they won for the first time last year. After losing so heavily in Paris to France, the rails looked to have come off the Irish challenge for this year, but, despite being under the cosh for long period of the game against England at Twickenham, Ireland grabbed a dramatic win, thanks to two tries from Tommy Bowe, to keep them in the hunt. France top the group at the moment with three wins from three, with England and Ireland behind them on two wins each. Now Ireland need to win their last two games well, and hope that England do them a favour by beating France in the last round of fixtures.

Ireland dramatically won the Grand Slam last season at the Millennium Stadium, in a thrilling match, helped by Stephen Jones missing a last minute penalty for Wales. The Irish were pushed all of the way and could well have lost, and memories of that will be ringing around the Irish dressing room on Saturday. Ireland should remain unchanged from the starting fifteen which took on England so well at Twickenham. The Irish showed a lot of determination and resilience, despite not having much of the ball at all, but they possessed one thing that the English did not have. Clinical finishing. Ireland won the game 20-16, after being on the back foot for most of the game. Following a dour win against Italy in their opener, and then the crushing defeat to France, there were doubts over whether Ireland could replicate what they did last season. As good as team as they, they rode their luck then, but with the French side so powerful this season, any frailties exposed will be the thin line between them retaining the title and not. Two years ago the Welsh beat the Irish in Dublin.

For Wales, this season has been all about thrilling entertainment, which, unfortunately for them, has resulted in just one win from their opening three matches. In all of their matches so far, Wales have found themselves behind in the early stages of the game, having to always play catch up. Against England, Scotland and France, they staged some thrilling second half comebacks, taking risks in running and throwing the ball around. In other words, doing what Wales do best. However, the Welsh defence has not been good at all, and their best defensive displays have come when they are attacking and recycling the ball at pace. The comeback strategy worked against Scotland, but failed against England and France.

There has been little continuity by Wales, which is what you would naturally associate them with. Their scrum has not looked as steady either, and they have their fair share of problems with injury in that area, losing the majority of their front line. Mr Consistency himself Martyn William will become Wales most capped forward when he leads his nation out on Saturday, just five short of the magical 100 mark. Wales haven’t managed to put a whole game plan together for 80 minutes yet, and that’s probably what they will need to do against Ireland, if they want to repeat their success of two year ago at Croke Park. It is hard to delineate whether Wales are as bad as their results have suggested. There have been passages of play which they look anything but a cohesive team. Other passages have shown how dangerous they can be when they put things together.

Wales try to employ the same blitz defence which the French do so well. This kind of living-on-the-edge defence can look frail when it doesn’t work, and there is not a great margin of error for it. The Irish should have the edge in the pack, although their scrimmaging has come under some scrutiny. Another area in which Ireland should be able to attack is in the line out. Pound for pound, Ireland should be the better team in all areas, especially in defence, as shown against England. They probably haven’t got the overall speed and fluidity of the Welsh backs, but they have power and players who can turn the game with a flash of ingenuity.

Ireland v Wales Betting Stats

Ireland: W46, D6, L62
Wales: W62, D6, L46

Ireland biggest winning margin: 54-10
Wales biggest winning margin: 29-0

Ireland average points v Wales: 10.43
Wales average points v Ireland: 11.55

Match Prices
Ireland to win: 3/10 at Stan James
Draw: 25/1 at Totesport
Wales to win: 7/2 at SportingBet

England will be looking to keep their 2010 RBS Six Nations hopes alive on Saturday, when they travel to Murrayfield to take on the Scots. England were dealt a blow two weeks ago, when Ireland triumphed over them at Twickenham, in a match where England dominated possession. Again though, England’s lack of cutting edge in all areas of the park, let them down, as the Irish, in a clinical fashion, showed England what they are missing. Every half chance was put away by the Irish, partly through speed and creativity, and partly through English defensive errors, whereas England squandered plenty of chances when they were in good attacking positions. We have yet to see the England that boss Martin Johnson had promised, a team which would run and play expansive rugby. That has not happened, with heavy criticism being aimed at Johnson, some of the senior players like Jonny Wilkinson, and the coaches.

Now it is onto the Calcutta Cup in their penultimate match. The Grand Slam chance has gone, but they can still take the championship down to the wire with a victory over the Scots. After winning their opening sequence of games against Wales and Italy, England failed to capitalise on the fact that France beat Ireland. Another defeat for the Irish would have put them out of contention, but now there is a three way race for Six Nations title, thanks to their victory at Twickenham. France of course, still dominate, and everything should go down to the wire on the final day, when England travel to Paris. England stuck with the same team that had laboured so badly against Italy, and there were not a lot of signs from the backs that things are improving. While the ball retention in the forwards was better, there were still to many mistakes at crucial times. Yes, there is an air of inexperience in the side, but players do not look to be taking on any responsibility for themselves. Whether that is down to coaching or individuals, or a mix of both is anyone’s guess at the moment.

Again, Johnson has refused to make wholesale changes to the starting fifteen. Johnson though, has called up Leicester’s young star scrum half, Ben Youngs, who will start the match at Murrayfield on the bench. This is the culmination of a rapid rise for Youngs, who was nominated for Premiership Young Player of the year last season. The scrum half position, is occupied by Danny Care at the moment, who has yet to really stamp his authority over any game. Johnson has only made one tactical change of personal to the side, with big Joe Worsley coming back into the pack, while Louis Deacon takes over from Simon Shaw who picked up an injury against the Irish. There were calls for the exciting talent of Ben Foden to start the match at full back, after making a great impact with his running instead of the kicking of Delon Armitage, but that hasn’t happened, as he start on the bench. The England camp are still looking for their finishing to be more clinical. The pressure which England have exerted over opponents during the tournament, has often looked a long way short of being translated into points.

Scotland, about which much has been made of their strong midfield, have yet to win in the Six Nations so far. Coach Andy Robinson has suffered defeats against France, Wales and Italy, and will relish nothing more than finding a way to beat England. Robinson had an unsuccessful as England manager, but can be buoyed by the fact that Scotland have beaten England in the last two encounters at Murrayfield. If a repeat of that happens, it should pretty much hand the 2010 RBS Six Nations tournament on a plate to the French. The results for the Scots may not be as harsh as they, like England, have failed to turn bouts of pressure into points, lacking a clinical edge to them. Robinson has made changes for the Calcutta Cup because of injury, after losing Mike Blair and Alasdair Dickinson though injury. Robinson has drafted Nick De Luca into the starting three quarters, while moving out Max Evans, one of Scotland’s most potentially potent attacking players onto the wing.

Scotland have yet to pick up a point, despite running Wales close at the Millennium Stadium in their second game. They have only ran in two tries in their opening three games, the lowest joint total along with Italy. This will be a passionate clash of horns at Murrayfield, with both sides desperate for points, but England will be expected to edge it in a tight, slow match.

Scotland v England BETTING STATS

Scotland: W42, D17, L67
England: W67, D17, L42

Scotland biggest winning margin: 33-6
England biggest winning margin: 43-3

Scotland average points v England: 8.56
England average points v Scotland: 11.40

2009 Six Nations Result:
England 26, Scotland 12

Match Prices:
Scotland to win: 2/1 at SportingBet
Draw: 22/1 at Bwin
England to win: 8/15 at Stan James

Here are some important RBS Six Nations Betting Stats, which can help when planning your betting strategies. This is a big weekend in the Six Nations, with three matches which are hard to call. This has the potential of being one of the most explosive weekends of the tournament so far.

2010 Results to date:
Ireland 29, Italy 11
England 30, Wales 17
Scotland 9, France 18
Wales 31, Scotland 24
France 33, Ireland 10
Italy 12, England 17

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England v Ireland Betting Stats

England to win:

Draw: 20/1 at 888Sport
Ireland to win: 20/1 at Blue Square

England have won 70 matches
Ireland have won 44 matches
There have been 8 drawn matches

Largest winning margin England: 6-46
Largest winning margin Ireland: 43-14

England average points v Ireland: 11.80
Ireland average points v England: 7.95

2009 Result: Ireland 14, England 13

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Wales v France Betting Stats

Wales to win: 9/4 at William Hill
Draw: 22/1 at Bet365
France to win: 4/9 at SportingBet

Wales have won 43 matches
France have won 40 matches

Largest winning margin Wales: 49-14
Largest winning margin France: 51-0

Wales average points v France: 14.74
France average points v Wales: 14.43

2009 Result: France 21, Wales 16

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Italy v Scotland Betting Stats

Italy to win: 15/8 at Paddy Power
Draw: 22/1 at Bwin
Scotland to win: 4/7 at Totesport

Scotland have won 10 matches
Italy have won 5 matches

Largest winning margin Italy: 17-37
Largest winning margin Scotland: 15-45
Italy average points v Scotland: 19.07
Scotland average points v Italy: 23.87

2009 Result: Scotland 26, Italy 6

Rugby betting will spike on the weekend, as England go into their all important RBS Six Nations Clash against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday, with an unchanged side from the one which started against Italy. The side under performed against the Italians, most notably with Jonny Wilkinson’s kicking game badly letting him down for once. There has been a lot of criticism fired at Wilkinson since the game, with questions being asked about his role in the team if not for his kicking. Much of the criticism has been directed at his apparent lack of ability to get the back line firing in an expansive way, but a lot of the blame should not fall solely on his shoulders.

England are still not playing the game that is in front of them, and they look anything but a side which has confidence in what they are doing with the ball. This is where betting on this match become tough. They have a good team, but not a good team plan. They could explode, or they could collapse against the Irish. Ball’s from the breakdown are still too slow, and that doesn’t give Wilkinson much to work with. Slow ball leads to him dropping deep and resorting to kicking, something which England have been woeful at this year. There have been so many aimless kicks, that it just highlights the problem of a lack of confidence in their handling and running. Aimless kicks have just given so much possession away, instead of kicking for territory, where England can challenge any team in the line-out.

Still, boss Martin Johnson will be happy enough that England have won two from two, or else he probably wouldn’t be in a job right now. England simply need to play as a team, with the forwards going forward with purpose and desire to knock people down, and clearing the rucking area quickly. Only rare glimpses of what England can really do in the backs, have supporters seen, and but the problem is more with the system than with the quality of players England have available. There have been calls for changes, most notably with wanting explosive and dangerous Ben Foden coming in at full back to add an extra dimension. But you can have the most attacking players in there, but if they don’t get good ball, then nothing is going to happen.

This is where the English could fall down against the Irish. Despite being comprehensively beaten in Paris last week, the Irish have a lot more experience as a team unit that England do, and on the day, that could count in spades. This isn’t as easily a winnable game as it was against the Welsh or the Italians, and the strong Irish side, although they have had their problems with inspiration and good scrummaging, will pose a whole new level of challenge for Martin Johnson’s men. The fact that the game is at Twickenham may help a bit, but only if England are playing well. Johnson was subjected to boo’s in the autumn, and if England fall behind, fall under pressure and fall apart, then Twickenham won’t be a happy place for the England players.

Ireland will be reeling from their 33-10 defeat against the French two weeks ago, and will remember that they were lucky to beat England at home last season. Both sides will be fresh after the break period, in what will be a crucial game in the 2010 RBS Six Nations. More likely than not, rugby betting on this one will lean towards a tight victory for the Irish, because of their experience and their strong team work. Ronan O’Gara has been dropped from the starting XV, with Jonathan Sexton taking over the role again at fly half. Ireland need to not get sucked into too much of a forward battle against England, as that slow game will be playing into the English hands. They will be hurting after the French defeat, and this will be a test of how bold they are in defence of their Six Nations title.

England to win: 21/20 at Boylesports
Draw: 20/1 at 888Sport
Ireland  to win: 21/20 at Blue Square