Six Nations Odds Favor Last Year’s Champions To Win Again

When the Six Nations kicks off at Murrayfield this Saturday it might not be to the same fanfare and razzmatazz that will almost certainly accompany the Super Bowl, however with a tense opening round and more than a few things to settle who'll stay the distance and just who should you back at Bet365? We look at all the Six Nations odds

Six Nations Outrights

• England – 4/5
• Ireland – 9/4
• Wales – 7/1
• France – 12/1
• Scotland – 20/1
• Italy – 1000/1

The Super Bowl is likely to dominate the UK gambling news headlines next Monday just as much as it will in the US and around the world, and whilst that may well shunt some of the Six Nations coverage away from the back pages by then we should have a far clearer idea of the form this year, the opening round matches due to set the tone of the competition right from the off. Six Nations odds at the moment favor the English but there's a lot of attention on that opening clash between Ireland and Scotland.

By rights the Irish should stroll it, they're getting 4/9 at Bet365 to beat the Scots, but Scotland have been gaining ground in recent games and there's just a chance that the 2/1 they're getting are not the most fair of Six Nations odds, and if they pull off a win against an Irish team that looks able to take on the English, it'll throw the cat among pigeons as far as tournament predictions goes. The same goes for the opening match for France who've been improving, but enough to beat England at Twickenham? •

Tense Opening Games To Set The Six Nations Tone

Six Nations Opening Games

• Ireland 4/9 – 2/1 Scotland
• England 1/6 – 9/2 France
• Wales 1/5 – 4/1 Italy

Bet365 doesn't think think the French can do it, their Six Nations odds on this opening match a pretty damning 1/6 for England taking the win and just 9/2 on the only other team on the pitch winning. The French have improved a lot, their autumn far better than many had predicted, but that probably isn't going to be enough to stop the English steamroller out to prove a point in front of its home crowd, which is something you can probably say for the Italians who take on a strong Welsh side in Rome.

The Italians have something to prove too and their Six Nations odds are, frankly, a reflection of just how unlikely they are to manage it. Every tournament we wonder if they'll win a match and this year the opener against Wales could be their only slender opportunity, although Bet365 give them just 4/1 to get a surprise win and the Welsh garner 1/5 which won't be attractive to anyone who likes to bet on sports in the UK but might be some comfort to their rugby fans traveling across Europe this weekend.

Italians Get Longest Six Nations Odds At Bet365

So then by Monday we'll all have a clearer picture of what's going on and the bookies like Bet365 will adjust their odds accordingly so really you've not long to get in on the pre-tournament Six Nations odds they're offering at the moment. Obviously the English are in the lead when it comes to winning the whole shebang, they're on form and have some too, so get 4/5 at Bet365 and the nearest competition, Ireland are way back on 9/4 with the rest a bit of a ragged tail in the outrights markets.

Wales get 7/1 at Bet365, France just 12/1, Scotland are way out at 20/1 (and actually quite the little speculative punt if you think about it) with the Italians on an entirely fair 1000/1 to win, and if you think the Italians can win the Six Nations odds are you're in a room with rubber wallpaper and might need to up your dosage. UK gambling laws might allow betting on the Six Nations, in numerous ways, but they're not an invitation to acts of wanton madness - like backing the Italians to actually win.