Six Nations Winner Bets
2010 Six Nations betting preview
Ireland ended 29 years of hurt by winning the Six Nations last season, with the boys in green triumphing for the first time in 1985. Coach Declan Kidney has enabled the team to play at a higher level and they are likely to be well backed at 5/2 (Victor Chandler – £100 Free Bet) to retain their crown.
Indeed, the odds suggest that there are only four teams that are in with a reasonable chance of success, with Ireland, France (13/8 Sporting Bet – £50 Free Bet), England (5/1 Sporting Bet) and Wales (6/1 betfair – £25 Free Bet) all trading at single figure odds. The French will clearly take some stopping when you consider that Les Bleus have won four of the last eight renewals, with their match against Ireland in Paris on 13th February likely to have a huge bearing on the outcome of the championship.
In addition to the outright betting, the bookmakers have gone to town with a raft of Six Nations specials, with the Triple Crown Winner always proving to be an interesting market. You can get 15/8 with the likes of Coral – £10 Free Bet and Sky Bet – £10 Free Bet that none of the home nations are good enough to win a three-timer, with Ireland available at 2/1 (Ladbrokes – £25 Free Bets) to beat Wales, Scotland as well as winning at Twickenham on 27th February.
The Irish are 6/1 to land the Grand Slam again and it’s worth noting that six of the last eight championship winners landed victory in all of their games. Therefore, while ‘No Winner’ is available at 4/6 (Sky Bet – £10 Free Bet), perhaps France will oblige at odds of 5/1 (bet365 – £200 Free Bets) when you consider that they play Ireland and England at home.
You can also bet on markets like ‘Wooden Spoon Winner’, a dubious honour which Italy often finish up with. Victor Chandler – £100 Free Bets offer 1/2 that the Azzurri finish bottom of the pile, although they will have identified their match against Scotland as eminently winnable on 27th February. Perhaps the troubled Scots will be settled as the ‘winner’ of this market at 11/4 (Boylesports – £20 Free Bets).
Ireland’s Tom Bowe is the 8/1 favourite (Stan James – £25 Free Bets) to score the most tries during the tournament, although French speedsters Juliien Malzieu (11/1 Stan James) and Vincent Clerc (12/1 Sky Bet – £10 Free Bet) are sure to give you a run for your money and it’s possible that the French will score many more points due to the way the fixtures are set out. England pair Mark Cueto (20/1 Bet Fred – £50 Free Bet) and Ugo Monye (20/1 Sporting Bet – £50 Free Bet) would benefit from having a decent manager at the helm!