France’s Six Nations title defence begins against Italy in Rome, with Wales vs Ireland and England vs Scotland completing the first round of fixtures. We’ve previewed matchday one and provided an opening weekend treble with rugby odds of 5.92.
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Ireland to beat Wales: -8.5 points handicap – 2.10
Ireland have not won the Six Nations since 2018, but head into this year’s tournament a strong favourite thanks to their world number one status. They start their campaign against the competition’s second most decorated nation, Wales, who prepare to host Ireland following a year to forget. The Dragons lost nine of their 12 matches in 2022, including defeats in four of their five Six Nations matches.
In contrast, Ireland lost two games all year and head to Cardiff on a six-match winning streak, which includes two victories against New Zealand, as well as wins over South Africa and Australia. Ireland have won four of the previous five meetings against Wales, each win by nine points or more. The form of these nations could not be more different, and Ireland will be looking for a big win to keep their momentous run alive.
England vs Scotland: 1st half points handicap +3.5 (Scotland) – 1.92
There is a lot of anticipation surrounding England’s first game as Steve Borthwick takes charge of his first match. The tournament is early preparation for the 2023 World Cup and England will be desperate to build up a head of steam after an uninspired 2022. Their first task is no easy feat – they have beaten Scotland just once in their last five meetings.
Scotland didn’t have the best year themselves, but they are always up for a tussle against fellow home nations. In the last 10 matches, Scotland have had the lead at half-time on four occasions and trailed by less than four points on two. With a new-look England side sure to take some time to get going, Scotland will be confident in blitzing them in the opening 40 minutes.
France to score last against Italy – 1.47
There are not too many markets offering value in Italy vs France, but we may just have found one. The reigning champions were undefeated in 2022 and are likely to dominant this match against an Italian side that doesn’t typically fair too well in the Six Nations. The last five matches between these nations have seen France win by margins of 27, 40, 29, 13 and 28 points. What’s more, Les Bleus have scored the final points in four of those.
France are strong finishers and scored the last points in eight of their 12 matches last year. They should open their defence with a comfortable win, controlling proceedings from the offset and finishing impressively to ward off any glimmer of an Italian comeback.
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