It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The January blues are nearly gone and we’re moving towards springtime, and that can only mean one thing – it’s Six Nations time.
Week 1 kicks off perhaps with a bit of a damp squib, with favourites France hosting potential Wooden Spoon favourites Wales but of course we rise to a crescendo in the last game as Ireland host England to kick off their quest for the historic three-peat…
Ireland are playing in the rugby tonight, which means certain fans will be out in full force…
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 8, 2024
Between those two we have last year’s surprise success story Italy travelling to are-they-actually-any-good-or-not-really Scotland.
It promises to be a thrilling tournament to see how teams have evolved (or otherwise) since the Autumn Nations Series – here’s what’s worth a punt…
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France v Wales
Friday, 8:15pm
Total points – Over 57.5
Antoine Dupont first tryscorer
Sometimes we just sit there and think to ourselves ‘we get to watch Antoine Dupont play in the Six Nations again’. Honestly it is just so exciting to watch the little magician again after he missed last year’s tournament to focus on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
And it seems more than likely that he and the French team are going to want to put on a show in the opening game of the tournament. Everyone knows that Dupont should be the difference-maker in terms of France taking down Ireland, and if everyone knows it, we can be sure the French believe it.
They are going to want to lay down a marker so the over is very tempting, and he’s going to want to announce his return in style too. You can go for anytime here at a reasonable price for Dupont but first tryscorer does offer some nice value.
Scotland v Italy
Saturday, 2:15pm
Total points – Under 53.5
This was a game for the ages last year when Italy stunned Scotland in Rome, a famous result that heralded the arrival of this new Italy team, led of course by Paolo Garbisi. On paper this Scotland team should have too much for Italy, on paper they could well challenge for a top two spot. But frankly at this point it’s getting tiring constantly believing in Scotland only for them to let you down. Be under no illusion, this is make or break for Gregor Townsend.
There are a number of big names missing for this game too. Sione Tuipulotu, Scott Cummings, Josh Bayliss and Louis Lynagh are all absent for their respective teams. These absences, combined with the pressure both are under (for different reasons) means that we’re expecting a tense, cagey affair in Edinburgh. Scotland should definitely come out on top but it doesn’t feel as if it’s going to be pretty.
Ireland v England
Saturday, 4:45pm
Ireland team total points – Over 25.5
Josh van der Flier anytime tryscorer
The big one for Round One. All eyes for the home team will be Sam Prendergast, who has been confirmed as starting at the 10 for this one, with Jack Crowley dropping to the bench. You can understand why Ireland are so excited by Prendergast, but this is a massive responsibility in his Six Nations debut. The defending champions come into this tournament with a host of injuries and a bunch of questions after an inconsistent Autumn.
And they’re facing an England side that, whilst the game is not at Twickenham, tend to play up to their opponent and struggle more against teams they are expected to beat. Because England are so weird and beating Ireland in Ireland is exactly the kind of thing we could see them doing we’re going to go with Ireland’s points total instead of a result-based bet. This is set for 25.5 for this game and if England are going to win it feels like it will need to be a shootout, so we expect Ireland to cover – and we expect Ireland to win we’re just playing it safe.
For a second bet on this game, Josh van der Flier might seem like a bit of a flier (sorry, had to) but don’t forget he had three tries in four games in the Autumn and was named the Player of the Autumn Nations Series. Mack Hansen would be our pick for a slightly safer pick if you so wish and could offer a nice first tryscorer bet too.
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