The 6 Nations rugby tournament gets underway next weekend. The opening fixtures are set to provide two intriguing clashes as England entertain France at Twickenham for Le Crunch whilst Ireland take on Scotland in Dublin. However, looking down the fixture list there is some potential for a few surprise results. We’ve selected a handful of games which might go against the grain and provide not only entertainment but maybe even a few more quid in your pocket! We will will also look at the away wins possibilities.
Firstly, the mighty Welsh dragons head to Rome for their potentially tricky opener against an Italian side who have a pretty solid home record in the opening salvos.
ITALY V WALES
The Italians are looking to change things. They recorded their first ever victory against the Springboks in November last year, narrowly edging them in a 20-18 thriller. Under Irish coach Conor O'Shea, the Italians are looking to banish their poor 6 Nations record (six whitewashes, 11 wooden spoons) and on the back of this famous victory against South Africa, the 9/2 available (Betfair Sportsbook - Bet Here!) to beat Wales in Rome looks tempting. Not only that, Italy have a decent record in 6 Nations opening games at home having notched up victories against Scotland (2000), France (2013) and the Welsh themselves in 2003.
Shocker potential 7/10.
SCOTLAND V IRELAND
This tinderbox of a tie always has the potential of an upset and at 5/2 (Betfair Sportsbook - Bet Here!) for Scotland, this tie defintley makes the shortlist. In form Ireland are solid favourites but a packed Murrayfield always ensures a tense battle. Scottish skipper Greg Laidlaw claims his outfit have brought together the strongest squad in their history with great strength and depth. Additionally, Scottish clubs have had a great record in Europe this season as demonstrated by Glasgow Warriors’ first appearance in a European Champions Cup quarter-final along with Edinburgh’s domination of their European Challenge Cup pool. Many believe that this new surge of club success could converge into the national team.
Shocker potential 8/10.
ENGLAND V FRANCE
Those looking for value against the patriotic tide should look no further than the 5/1 (Stan James - Bet Here!) on offer for the French to overcome the English in Le Crunch. The statisticians would overly favour an English victory: England have only lost once to France at Twickenham since 2007. Not only that, Les Bleus have seen more defeats than wins in the last year. However, they should not be underestimated and it might just be the case that England could suffer complacency with their sights set on more difficult targets to come in this tournament.
Shocker potential 5/10.
AWAY WINS
Italy, arguably the weakest team in the 6 Nations have three home fixtures, although homing in on the away wins here represent no value whatsoever. The Italians can be surprisingly strong on home soil and a surprise or two could be on the cards. One of the value bets could be Ireland v France where the French are priced at 100/30 (William Hill - Bet Here!) to overcome the green shirts. The French have got some tough fixtures this time round and with their inexperienced squad (three dubutants) they will need to prove themselves early in the tournament. However, their record against the Irish is impressive. Out of a total of 95 meetings, France have emerged victorious 56 times compared to Ireland’s 32. France have also done well on Irish soil having defeated them 21 times out of 46.
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