England v France Six Nations Rugby Betting Odds and Preview

Can England press on towards the Grand Slam against wounded French?

Rugby England - France
Rugby England - France - © GEPA pictures

England v France Six Nations rugy betting could well see the English take another big step towards the Grand Slam this season. With two wins under their belt already, this could be the big crunch fixture for their title hopes. England opened their campaign with a comfortable home win at Twickenham against Scotland and then showed great maturity in a trip to Dublin to face Ireland on the second weekend. England played a very controlled match in a difficult circumstances and proved in a hard fought match against Ireland, that they have the steel and mental approach to take firm control of the Six Nations. So coach Stuart Lancaster has laid the foundations for a successful campaign and now they take home advantage against what could be a demoralised and disjointed French outfit.

So far we have seen two sides of England, the willingness to attack and run the ball against Scotland and then the control exerted against Ireland, where they kept their penalty count to a minimum and defensively looked very sound. There was also a great deal of pressure put on the Irish mistakes. So can England press on towards the 2013 Six Nations Grand Slam against France? The two nations were around joint favourites heading into this season’s competition, but the two sides have have contrasting results so far, with France losing their opening two. The one thing that England can’t afford to do is to be complacent here, because more often than not there is a sting in the French tail. But with a massive points difference in the Six Nations table already, it is likely that England, the only side with a 100% record, will be top no matter the outcome at Twickenham on Saturday.

England v France Six Nations Rugby betting odds at online bookmaker Blue Square
England 1/3, France 9/4, Draw 20/1

It has been a miserable start to the 2013 RBS Six Nations so far for Les Bleus, who were stunned on the opening weekend by a defeat in Rome against Italy. Truthfully the Italians deserved that win over the French, who had leads in the game, but just couldn’t shake the Italians off their tails. Then, instead of producing a big backlash performance at home against Wales on the second weekend of the tournament, France failed to cross the tryline in the match and suffered a 16-6 defeat in front of their home fans. So not good times for coach Philippe St Andre, which is surprising because France had a very good Autumn series, including a comprehensive, big win against Australia, with the Wallabies then going on to beat England. So will the coach continue to stick with the side that did so well in those Tests, but which isn’t up to scratch at the moment? The mobility of the pack isn’t there and the cracks are there for England to exploit unless big changes are perhaps made.

The England v France head to head stands in favour of England. The English have won 52 matches against the French, with France winning 37 and drawing seven. England edged out a narrow two point win over France in last season’s Six Nations, and in their last home fixture in the competition against France, England won 17-9 in 2011. England have won five of the last seven meetings against France, although they stand at 2-2 in the last four meetings.

England average 15 points per game against France, while the French average 12 points per game against the English, giving England a positive 3 points difference advantage when the two nations come together. Online bookmaker Blue Square have set the handicap at a -7 for England and +8 for France at a price of 10/11.

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