Scotland

Scotland v England Six Nations Rugby Betting should see a lot of blood and thunder to kick off the first round of this year’s tournament. England, as defending Six Nations champions, head north of the border to Murrayfield to take on the Scots, who should be pretty fired up. One of the big problems which Scotland have always had, is getting over the try line. There is never any question about the voracity or commitment with which the players enter their contests, but their game is often about damage limitation and hard work in setting up goal kicking chances to win matches. That lack of ability to score tries continues to plague them and did so again at last year’s World Cup. So, Scotland have been somewhat brave with their selection to take on England, as they have largely gone for experience, but have brought in some young faces to try and add a little attacking flair and dynamism to their attacks. Edinburgh winger Lee Jones is the new face charged with operating on the flank and trying to trouble England with his pace. Jones, who wasn’t at the World Cup, has proven his finishing power and ability at club level and now gets his chance in the starting fifteen. With experience of Max Evans in the back line and Nick de Luca in the backs as well, coach Andy Robinson has had to do something to try and get Scotland out of their shell. With the uncapped Lee Jones coming into the side, he is part of eight chances made from Scotland’s last test match, which was a defeat against England in the World Cup. Scotland hold a proud record against England, having not lost to England at home since 2004. That is a run of three home matches against the Auld enemy without defeat for the Scots, but that same number is how many test matches they have played in their current streak without scoring a try. Scotland will naturally try and take the initiative in the early stages of the Calcutta Cup and they will be hoping with the changes that they have made, that they finally start capitalising on the line breaks which they do create.

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 single bets 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, under interim head coach Stuart Lancaster have really shaken things up in the elite squad after a disappointing world cup. They have named Chris Robshaw, the Harlequins flanker who has just one full cap to his name as Captain of the new look squad. Robshaw has been cited as being a tremendous leader, something that Lancaster needs as he intends to do things his way while he is in charge of the national side. So England, the defending Six Nations champions, go into the tournament a relatively inexperienced side, but that can also be to their benefit, because the opposition may not know exactly what is coming at them. This is something of a total fresh start for England here, and they have gone for youth, shaking out the dead wood of the old guard and letting the exciting youngsters of English rugby seize their chance, especially ahead of the next World Cup, which of course is held in England. Young players like Owen Farrell, Brad Barritt, Phil Dowson and Mouritz Botha could all be in line for a start against Scotland, and England will go into the match as underdogs in terms of experience. Murrayfield is not an easy test for any English side, but for one packed with inexperienced youngsters it is only going to be a more intense experience for them in Scotland v England Six Nations Rugby Betting. But there is a big chance for Stuart Lancaster and his young troops to put a bit of pride back into English rugby after falling so flat again at the World Cup and limping out of the tournament. Interim coach Stuart Lancaster is known for being a disciplinarian, for his motivational qualities and for having a great working knowledge of the youngsters in English rugby. Can the inexperience be pulled altogether at Murrayfield on Saturday and rejuvenate the Six Nations champions?

There have been 129 previous meetings between Scotland and England, with 42 wins for the Scots and 69 for the English. They met twice last year, with England running out 22-16 winners in the Six Nations, and 16-12 winners in the World Cup. England have won three of the last four meetings between the two nations, the only interruption in their run, coming in the 2010 Six Nations at Murrayfield (the last time the two sides met there) when the match ended in a 15-15 draw. The last time England won in Scotland, was a 35-13 victory back in 2004. Scotland v England Six Nations Rugby Betting is usually a tight affair, with just an average difference of under three points between them (in England’s favour) when the two sides meet. Scotland average 8.69 per match against England, while England average 11.54 points per match against Scotland.

Scotland v England Six Nations Rugby Betting Odds
Scotland to win: 6/4 at SportingBet
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
England: 4/6 at Stan James

Scotland v England Six Nations Asian Handicap Rugby Betting
Scotland +3 for Evens at Bet365

Spain v Scotland betting sees Craig Levein’s men on the brink of securing a place in the play offs to reach next summer’s finals. After clinching a vital 1-0 away win in Liechtenstein on Saturday, Scotland head to Spain to face the group winners, know that they must match whatever the Czech Republic can do away at Lithuania. This is down to the wire now, but credit to Scots who have kept themselves in contention with some brave performances. Spain will of course be red hot favourites to beat the Scots out in Alicante, so Scotland may need a huge helping hand from Lithuania in beating the Czech Republic. Even if the Scots lose and the Czech’s win their final match, it will be the Czech’s who go through thanks to a superior head to head record against Scotland during qualifying. So Scotland, while looking in a good position, really need something special to happen, if the Czech’s draw, Scotland need to draw. If the Czech’s win, Scotland have too. The Scots can’t rely on heading to Spain and trying to hold out for a draw, realistically at this point of the proceedings, they may as well just go all out and try and beat Spain. They may as well throw the kitchen sink at the problem because the Czech’s will be expected to beat Lithuania in Prague. However, Lithuania did steal a sneaky 1-0 away win in Prague last year during qualifying, but with Lithuania losing to Liechtenstein and then drawing against them at home, then going down 1-0 to the Scots does not scream of a team in form. They don’t have anything to play for, but the Czech’s do, and at home, you really would expect them to prevail. So Scotland need one of their best performances ever. Back to back wins over Lithuania and Liechtenstein, coming after a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic have kept Scottish hopes high. Now it is all down to this.  The Spaniards have lost a few players, with Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos unlikely to make it for the match. Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta are definitely missing from the match, but Spain did still rock out a 2-0 win in Prague on Friday, maintaining their 100% record in Euro 2012 qualifying so far. Scotland came out of their win in Liechtenstein with a few bruises and are waiting on the fitness of Phil Bardsley, Barry Bannan, Charlie Adam and Craig Mackail-Smith. Cardiff striker Kenny Miller is also likely to miss out as well, after not getting ready to face Liechtenstein as expected on Saturday.

You may recall the great match at Hampden between Scotland and Spain back in October of last year, when a late strike by Llorente secured a 3-2 win for the Spaniards. Scotland had actually struck back from being two nil down in that match, to only narrowly miss out on a valuable point in the end. That is the kind of spirit that they will need to show in Spain on Tuesday. This is their last chance to make the Play Offs. The Head to Head record between these two is a lot closer than you may think. Out of 12 meetings, Spain have won five and Scotland winning three. Spain have hit 20 goals and Scotland 19 in those meetings. The last time they met in a continental qualifier before Euro 2012 qualifying, was back in 1976 when Scotland earned a 0-0 draw in Valencia (on the back of a 2-1 home defeat). The last time that Scotland played in Spain, they earned a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Valencia back in 2004. So there could be a plucky draw on the cards for the Scots, but that may not be enough. Should be a very interesting match and Craig Levein says that the Scots aren’t afraid of going there and giving the Spaniards a game.

Spain v Scotland Euro 2012 Qualifier Betting Odds
Spain to win: 1/6 at Bet365
Draw: 7/1 at Victor Chandler
Scotland to win: 14/1 at SportingBet

There is a great First Goalscorer Cash Back promotion going on at Boylesports. The bookie will refund losing First Goalscorer stakes on any of the remaining televised Euro 2012 qualifier matches on Tuesday, if your selection scores the second goal of the match (after failing to open the scoring). This offer a little bit of compensation if you are looking in this market for Spain v Scotland, where David Villa is 11/4 to open the scoring for example. Popular bookmaker Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account.

Liechtenstein v Scotland Euro 2012 qualifying betting sees the Scots still in with a chance of squeezing their way to next summer’s finals. The fight is really to get into second place as Spain have already won the group. The Czech Republic sit in second place on 10 points, while the Scots are third on eight points. Things could have been so different had it not been for a late dramatic penalty conceded by Scotland, a dubious penalty we should add, against the Czech Republic at Hampden Park in the last round of matches. Scotland did themselves proud but were undone at the end by a poor referees decision, but picked themselves up from that very well with a 1-0 home win over Lithuania to keep themselves in the hunt. The bigger bonus here is that the Czech Republic have to face Spain on Friday night, so Scotland, with a win, could actually leap frog the Czechs ahead of the final group matches. However, a further twist is that Scotland visit Spain for their final match, while the Czech Republic go to Lithuania. So Scotland will likely need to win this one and hope that the Czechs don’t get anything out of their next two matches. So Scotland still have a chance, but they may need help in the long run to qualify. All they can do now is win and hope for the best, and they really should be able to pick up three points against Liechtenstein, who are bottom of Group I. Scotland scored a 2-1 win over Liechtenstein at Hampden Park earlier in Euro 2012 qualification, and the Scots have done enough to suggest that they can get three points out of this. If they fail to, it could be curtains on their dreams for next summer, with that tough group finisher to come against Spain. A quick look at Scotland’s away form has seen them win one, draw one and lose one. Realistically, Scotland need two wins, because even if the Czechs lose against Spain on Friday, they will be expected to beat Lithuania, putting them on thirteen points. The maximum Scotland can score is 14 points. So mathematically, there is still a chance for Scotland.

Scotland do take striker Kenny Miller with them, after doubts about his fitness after picking up an groin strain. There is no guarantee that he is going to make the starting eleven, but he is with the squad and is going to be closely assessed in the build up to the match. Scotland also recall Lee Wallace, Stephen McManus and Cammy Bell to the squad, and if Miller is not fit, then Manager Craig Levein will have to chose from David Goodwillie, Craig Mackail-Smith and Steven Naismith. Levein has also handed a first squad call up for Dundee United’s Danny Swanson. Scotland may need a huge helping hand from somewhere in the final two matches (preferably a slip up by the Czechs against Spain on Friday), but they can help themselves on Friday night also. Liechtenstein will be without their striker Philippe Erne, the young striker who helped his side to a historic win over Lithuania earlier in the year. He has been left out because of injury, so that should help Scotland out a little bit. Liechtenstein have only managed four goals in their seven matches so far, and two of those were in the win over Lithuania, so the Scots should be able to fire their way through this one. Scotland have scored seven and conceded seven in their Euro 2012 qualification adventures so far, but they are just about keeping pace with the Czech Republic. Nothing less than a win will probably do for Scotland, they could just hang on if the Czech’s lose and Scotland either draw or lose. It would keep their hopes alive for the final round of matches, but the odds are stacked against them. Can they beat Liechtenstein, yes they can. They have played well enough over their past couple of matches to do so, and it would be a huge bonus is they go on and score a good margin of victory on Friday. That’s all they can focus on at the moment.

Liechtenstein v Scotland Euro 2012 Qualifying Betting Odds
Scotland to win: 2/7 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 5/1 at SkyBet
Liechtenstein to win: 11/1 at Bet365

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Scotland v Georgia rugby betting will be watched carefully by England. This is all happening in England’s Pool at the 2011 World Cup, and with unconvincing displays by England, Scotland and Ireland in their opening matches, the intensity now needs to start being stepped up. Scotland had to rely on late tries to muster a comeback from behind against Romania in their opening fixture. The intensity, speed and endeavour which underdogs Romania came at Scotland with, was one of the most rousing performances of the World Cup so far. The Scots will have been taken aback by what Romania actually had to offer, and now with a quick turn around in games for them, their second in four days, they need to built on the fact that they managed to get away with a positive result in their opening pool match. The 32-24 victory gave the Scots a bonus point as well, so they sit top of Pool B after one round of matches, a point ahead of the stuttering England. Because of having to get back into action so soon, Scotland coach Andy Robinson has expectedly rung the changes, and while fitness is a factor over the course of the tournament, there must also be some decisions influenced by a fairly mediocre performance out of the gates. Eleven new faces come into the starting line up from the Romania match, with wingers Max Evans and Sean Lamont managing to hold down their places along with Allan Jacobsen and Kelly Brown in the pack. Scotland were not at the races for most of the match against Romania, and looked a bit sluggish around the breakdown, giving away penalties.

However, Scotland are in pretty good form, as they have won their last four matches now, after building up a successful pre World Cup campaign. Scotland should win this, and with the fresher legs coming in against a Georgia side, who are ranked 16th in the IRB rankings (ahead of Romania and the United States) should help. But Georgia, who have a lot of players based in France, could have the power in their sides to disrupt and cause Scotland as many problems as Romania did. In fact, Georgia are actually on a great winning streak of their own, beating Russia, Spain, Ukraine and Romania back at the start of the year during the European Nations Cup (which like the league beneath the Six Nations). Georgia are actually one of the strongest, if not the strongest side in Europe outside of the Six Nations, and haven’t lost since 2009. Therefore Scotland will know that they need to raise their game after the almost embarrassment they suffered against Romania. So this could be quite an evenly contested match now as Scotland need to pick up maximum points here. That is because the two hardest pool matches are still to come against England and Argentina, and therefore these are the matches which Scotland need to get the most out of, if they are going to battle their way through to the next round. This is the first match for Georgia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, so they will be fresh and keen to make an immediate impact, and will be fancying their chances in targeting Scotland for a victory.

Scotland v Georgia Betting Odds
Scotland to win: 1/10 at Blue Square
Draw: 50/1 at Bet365
Georgia to win: 11/1 at William Hill

Scotland v Georgia Betting Tip: This could be a closer ran thing than expected, as Georgia are not to be underestimated. Scotland have at least shown they can score tries, and with the better experience they have, they will be worth backing. However, would not go to big on a handicap, because we don’t see a big margin of victory happening. Georgia are being covered at Evens with Bet365 for a +19 handicap spread. Sounds very generous.

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.
 

Scotland v Ireland presents a tricky match for both sides. Ireland were incredibly lackadaisical on their trip to Rome on the opening weekend of the 2011 RBS Six Nations, and were drawn into a tight battle against the French last week in Dublin. Ireland managed to scrape past the Italians with a late Ronan O’Gara drop goal, while they couldn’t hold on against the French, losing 25-22 in a thrilling match. O’Gara has been rewarded with a recall to the starting number 10 shirt for the trip to Murrayfield, in this match which Ireland need to win to keep themselves in with any hopes of title success this year. Eoin Reddan also gets a starting recall, deposing Tomas O’Leary from his scrum half position. Ireland look though as if they are still trying to find their feet after a difficult 12 months, and they haven not put together the clinical power game and handling that is so expected of them. They haven’t been helped along with a long catalogue of injury problems either, and really need the likes of Tommy Bowe to get themselves firing. Ireland have just been full of errors and have not managed to put any kind of consistency together. A couple of years ago they would have been a shoo-in for success against Scotland, but it was defeat to the Scots in Dublin, on the final day of last year’s Six Nations, which really started a poor run of form from the usually powerful and consistent Irish. They have lost their edge, and now this visit to Scotland really will be hard work for them.

Scotland went into the Six Nations as one of the teams most in form. They had drawn a great deal of plaudits for the way they were stringing together results, including a win over the Springboks last year. However, they have failed to pick up a win in their opening two matches. They put in a decent showing out in Paris against the French on the opening weekend, managing to cross the try line three times. For a side which has barely scored any tries in the Six Nations over the past few years, that was a big step forward for them. However, they completely came unraveled when they faced Wales on the second weekend at Murrayfield. The Welsh, not great themselves, really gave the Scots the run around, and the Scottish just continued to make error after error in the match, and could not gain any forward momentum from anywhere. No doubt coach Andy Robinson will have been fuming over that performance, a match which they would have had penciled in as a prospective victory. Now they need to pick themselves back up and take the game to the Irish. Even with home advantage, Scotland will start as slight underdogs, and that would be fairly reflected in how you go with your betting on this one. Even though Ireland are stuttering, even with confidence, you would expect them to pick up the victory here. They just have that extra edge, that bit of creativity and speed to break the back line of the Scots. They also have a decent record against the Scots, winning five of the last six at Murrayfield.

Scotland to win: 21/10 at Bet365
Draw: 22/1 at Bwin
Ireland to win: 1/2 at Victor Chandler

It should be a thriller up at Murrayfield when Wales face Scotland. Both nations are losers from the opening weekend, and so both should be gunning for that big victory. Scotland did a pretty good job, and gave a decent account of themselves out in Paris when they took on a strong French side. Andy Robinson’s Scotland managed to get over the try line three times, giving the French a good run for their money in the match. Scotland went into that match as underdogs, and rightly so, but the Scots over the Autumn have really start to show some progress and it showed again against France. They scrapped and battled well, and while they lack the flair, speed and cutting edge that France had against them, they showed enough to suggest that they can win a couple of matches in this season’s Six Nations. The main area which let the Scottish game down, was up front, where their superior weight over the French pack, could not be put to good use. Instead, the French and their superior scrimmaging skills won the day, and that is a big area in which Scotland need to improve. They do look a far more confident side than they have done in the Six Nations, and this has the potential of being a good year for them. Scotland will start this match as favourites and really with the crowd behind them, they should be able to exploit Welsh weaknesses, of which there are many.

Scotland will be looking for a bit of payback after losing a big lead against the Welsh last year in the Six Nations, and they look a good bet to do that. They are the stronger unit at the moment, and look altogether more tactically sound than what the Welsh are.  After failing to score a single try in the Six Nations last year, Scotland have already ran in three, which is a huge boost for their attacking confidence. Granted, they were borne of hard work, and can be argued that they were scrappy and down to some poor French defence, but the chances were still taken. Scotland have lost six of the last eight matches against the Welsh, and now this game has huge importance. Whoever loses this time around can pretty much count themselves out of any title hopes, and that could be starting the wooden spoon in the face. Scotland may be without forward Richie Gray, who has a bit of a stomach bug, and while coach Andy Robinson named an unchanged starting 15, Gray may have to sit this one out, with Nathan Hines likely to step in. Scotland have a bit of momentum in their game at the moment, even though they lost against France, they showed that they can compete and hold their own. They are not going to win the Six Nations this year,  but they are heading in the right direction, and with a more solid performance up front and in the line outs, they should be fully capable of beating the Welsh.

That is because Wales are in a bit of disarray at the moment, and are now on an eight match losing skid in International Test rugby. They put on something of a comeback against England after the visitors to the Millennium Stadium had opened up a strong first half lead, but there were still glaring errors in their game, which could leave them flailing again. For starters, there really was no leader on the field for Wales, and not one of the big stars, the big game players really turned up to try and stamp any authority on the game. This is probably due to a lack of confidence, as Wales are desperate to pick up a win from anywhere. You would expect Wales to have a stronger running back line than what the Scottish have, but the Scottish defence in that area is head and shoulders above that of the Welsh. The defence of Wales at the moment is pretty miserable, and they look disjointed and unsure of positioning and aren’t going into tackles full tilt. There was just a lack of direction and conviction from Wales, who looked more content to kick the ball away than take it into contact, and pretty much just ended up running sideways against the English for  most of the match. Another big problem was the back, who really struggled to earn possession of the ball against England, and so they had no real platform to work from.

Wales will have to work hard to secure ball, and they need a huge game from the likes of Jamie Roberts, who was anonymous as a ball carrier against England. What Wales will do, is continue to create chances though, and they really will have to land some of them. They will get a little more space against the Scottish backs if they can get ball in hand, because they will have that edge of pace. But the work has to be done up front, where the Welsh did not operate as a full pack at all, and Scotland may get the chance to use their weight and strength and bully the weakened Welsh in that area. Scotland will want a tight game, while the Welsh will be more likely to throw the ball around. Wales just need to be more direct really, and run straight lines in the middle of the park. They have a chance, but they look as if they will be easily exposed at the back, the more they try and create chances up front. On form, Scotland really should edge this one, it is a great opportunity for them against the Welsh at Murrayfield, if they keep the ball up front and not give it away, then they will win.

Scotland to win: 4/6 at Boylesports
Draw: 20/1 at Bwin
Wales to win: 8/5 at SportingBet

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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