Ireland v France Six Nations rugby betting is actually going to have a big bearing on the fight to avoid the wooden spoon. Remarkably the French have yet to pick up any points, while Ireland are struggling with just one win under their belt. The Irish actually showed a lot of promise on the opening weekend of the 2013 Six Nations championship, winning 30-22 away in Cardiff against Ireland. There was a decent looking balance between attack and defence, but the former has totally dried up. The Irish lost valuable ground at home against England on week two of the championship, unable to break down the organised English defence and when the visitors came on strong, ill-discipline let them down.
But Ireland never really looked that threatening with the running lines, and they were kept to just one touchdown against Scotland on week three as well. Ireland opened up an 8-0 lead just after half time in the match, and with less than twenty minutes on the clock, ill-discipline again saw the Irish crumble, giving away four penalties, all converted by the Scots to give Scotland an unlikely win at Murrayfield from the position the game had been in.
Ireland v France Six Nations Betting Odds at online bookmaker Blue Square
France 4/5, Ireland Evens, Draw 16/1
France have made some strange decisions in this championship. The side which did so well through the autumn of 2012 just hasn’t performed in the 2013 Six Nations. After suffering a shock defeat out in Rome on the opening weekend, France couldn’t regain any of their composure or fluency as they were toppled on home soil against Wales on week two. Then came what many expected to be the game which would see the best of Les Bleus, a trip to Twickenham to face England. France were in the game well enough, doing especially well through the midfield and at the break down, but then there came a flood of substitutions in the second half, including taking off two of their most dangerous players, Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc.
With that flurry of substitutions, France shot themselves in the foot, losing all momentum, all discipline, giving Toby Flood a chance to kick England further ahead. The French don’t seem to know what their best setup is at the moment and it is a bizarre situation for them, losing three in a row, especially after crushing Australia in last season’s autumn series. Another defeat and they’ll be staring down the barrell of a wooden spoon season.
In the Ireland v France head to head, France have a commanding 55 to 29 lead. The points difference between the two when they meet is 4.8 in favour of the French. Ireland have only averaged 11 points per game against France, where the French have averaged 16 points per game against the Irish. Online bookmaker Blue Square has the handicap set at 0 for a price of 10/11. The two sides played out a draw in Paris last season, and prior to that, France had won all four of the previous meetings. There was a dramatic 25-22 win for France on their last visit to Ireland in the Six Nations (in 2011).
Get your hands on a free £25 bet for your Six Nations rugby betting with online bookmaker Blue Square. The bookie, popular for their handicaps on rugby markets, will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet up to the maximum value of £25. There is also a great Ireland v France Six Nations betting money back special to enjoy. If a forward scores the first try in the match, then the bookie will refund all losing First Try Scorer bets with a maximum refund of £50 per customer.
