After a short break, the 2018 Six Nations Championship is back with a bang this weekend. The opening match of the round sees France and Italy square off in the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Friday night. The following day, Ireland host Wales in Dublin, while England travel to Murrayfield Stadium to play Scotland.
After two rounds, as many would have predicted, Ireland and England top the table on nine points each. Meanwhile, Wales have picked up six points and Scotland have taken four. At the bottom, Italy have zero points to their name, while France have two. The opening two rounds have produced some fascinating rugby, with a mix of tense finales, controversy and some excellent rugby. Let’s hope for more of the same this weekend.
- France v Italy – France to Win -17 (Evens at Betfair)
- Ireland v Wales – Wales to Win (7/2 at Ladbrokes)
- Scotland v England – England to be Winning at Half Time and Full Time (10/11 at Betfair)
France v Italy – 23rd February
It seems likely that France and Italy will be battling amongst themselves to avoid finishing bottom in this year’s Six Nations Championship. However, Jacques Brunel’s Les Bleus head into this one in Marseille as the strong favourites to see off the Italians and claim a much-needed win.
The French have kicked off their campaign with two narrow defeats to Ireland and Scotland respectively. After a heart-breaking 15-13 loss to the Irish in the Stade de France in round one, Brunel’s side were narrowly beaten 32-26 in Edinburgh last time out. Still, they have picked up two bonus points for their troubles. As expected, Conor O’Shea’s Italy have found life tough going so far, losing 46-15 at home to England, then 56-19 in Dublin.
France should have too much quality for Azzurri to handle on Friday night. We like the look of Betfair’s evens for the hosts to win -17 in Marseille. With just a few moments altered France could have won two from two so we fancy them to record a comfortable victory here.
France to Win -17 – Evens at Betfair
Ireland v Wales – 24th February
Arguably, the most eye-catching game of the round comes from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, as Joe Schmidt’s Ireland and Warren Gatland’s Wales go head-to-head. The Irish are the clear favourites, but Wales have made a solid start to the competition and will not be an easy nut to crack for the home team.
After Johnny Sexton’s heroics gave them a last-gasp win in France, Ireland were utterly dominant against Italy in their last outing. Schmidt’s troops hit eight tries against the Italians, winning by a whopping 37 points in the end.
As for Wales, after their wonderful performance against Scotland in Cardiff, they were narrowly beaten by the English at Twickenham Stadium last time out. Many fancied the Dragons to have a forgettable tournament, but Gatland’s side could be the dark horses.
Wales have some big players returning from injury for this one, and they will back themselves to cause an upset in Dublin. We fancy the Welsh to spring a surprise in the Aviva, so check out Ladbrokes’ tempting odds of 7/2 for Wales to secure a huge away win this weekend and get themselves back in the championship hunt.
Wales to Win – 7/2 at Ladbrokes
Scotland v England – 24th February
Last but not least, old rivals Scotland and England go to war in Edinburgh in the final match of the round before a two week break. Eddie Jones’ England are the strong favourites, but Gregor Townsend’s Scotland won’t let them have it all their own way at Murrayfield. This promises to be a cracker in the Scottish capital with the Calcutta Cup and a good dose of pride on the line.
After a poor showing in Cardiff, Scotland restored some respect with a 32-26 win over France. Worryingly for Townsend’s side, they have only managed to score three tries in two games, the joint least in the tournament so far. Even though England were not at their dominant best against Wales, they did enough to win 12-6 in London. Prior to that, the current champions kicked off the defence of their crown with a big 46-15 victory over Italy in Rome.
Scotland will have to be at their very best if they are to cause an upset on Saturday. On their day, the Scots are capable, but this will no doubt be their toughest challenge yet. England will be expecting to win, possibly picking up all five points in the process. We’re backing the away side to be winning at half time and full time (10/11 at Betfair).
England to be Winning at Half Time and Full Time – 10/11 at Betfair