RBS Six Nations Betting Preview

January 30, 2008

The Rugby Union RBS Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship (referred to as RBS 6 Nations for sponsorship reasons) is the Northern Hemisphere’s premier international rugby union event. It is an annual competition involving six European sides, namely England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The winners of the RBS 6 Nations are seen as being (unofficial) European Champions.

History of the Six Nations Championship
The first Home International Championship, between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales was played in 1883. England won the first Championship and along with Scotland dominated the first decade, with Wales first winning in 1893 and Ireland in 1894. In 1910, the French officially joined the competition and coined the phrase “Five Nations.” England won the first championship of the new era, with the Welsh achieving the first Grand Slam the following year. France won a shared title in 1954 and their first outright title in 1959. The 1970s marked the golden age for Welsh rugby, winning three Grand Slams and a Triple Crown during the decade. The Five Nations Championship Trophy was first presented, to France, in 1993. Italy joined the competition in 2000 and the tournament became known as the “Six Nations Championship.” England was the first nation to win the new trophy. The rise of the Rugby World Cup has somewhat diminished the importance of the Six Nations Championship, but enduring rivalries between teams mean that it remains an ardently contested event.

The Six Nations Championship Today
In 2005 Wales won the Grand Slam, becoming the first team ever to win a Grand Slam playing more games away than at home. This was the last Grand Slam to date. In 2006, France won the competition on points difference over Ireland. Ireland received the consolation prize of the Triple Crown Trophy, presented for the first time that year. Italy were recipients of the “Wooden Spoon” but at least improved over previous years, gaining a point away from home in a draw against Wales. In 2007, France again won on points difference, after four teams had at least a mathematical chance of winning, with one game to play. The Italians had their first away win of the tournament beating Scotland in Edinburgh. It was also the first time they won two of their matches as they subsequently beat Wales in Rome. Scotland won the wooden spoon and Ireland won the Triple Crown for the second straight year and third time in four years.

Betting on the Six Nations Championship

N.B. Prices as at 29th January 2008.

Available Online Betting

Outright Championship Winner
Online betting is available on the winners of the Six Nations Championship. Current best prices:
7/4 France, 5/2 England, 11/2 Ireland, 9/1 Wales, 14/1 Scotland, 100/1 Italy.

Grand Slam Winner
A “Grand Slam” is achieved when a team wins all its five games. Current best prices are:
4/5 No Winner, 3/1 France, 6/1 England, 18/1 Ireland, 33/1 Wales, 100/1 Scotland, 1000/1 Italy.

Triple Crown Winner
The “Triple Crown” is confined to the “home” nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland). It is achieved when a team beats the other three “home” nations. Current best prices are: 11/8 England, 2/1 No Winner, 4/1 Ireland, 14/1 Wales, 20/1 Scotland.

Wooden Spoon Winner
The “Wooden Spoon” winner is the team finishing last in the Six Nations Championship. Current best online prices are: 8/15 Italy, 11/4 Scotland, 17/2 Wales, 16/1 Ireland, 50/1 England, 66/1 France.

Tournament Match Bets
Some online bookmakers (including tote sport) are offering prices on tournament “matches” between pairs of teams, the winner being the team that finishes highest in the Six Nations Championship.

England v. France
4/6 France, 11/10 England.

England v. Ireland
2/7 England, 5/2 Ireland.

Ireland v. Wales
4/7 Ireland, 5/4 Wales

Scotland v. Wales
8/13 Wales, 6/5 Scotland

Top Try scorer
A number of online bettors are also offering prices on:
Top Overall Try scorer
Top England Try scorer
Top Wales Try scorer
Top Ireland Try scorer
Top Scotland Try scorer

Individual Matches
Online betting sites provide prices for all the individual games in the Six Nations Championship. In keeping with football, three prices are offered on each game, including the draw. For the opening round of matches, to be played on the 2nd / 3rd February, prices are:

1/ 10 Ireland, 21/2 Italy, 59/1 Draw.
1/4 England, 5/1 Wales, 33/1 Draw.
47/25 Scotland, 3/5 France, 26/1 Draw.

“Handicap” Betting
Unless the teams are considered to be exactly equally matched, some form of handicap betting is available on all Six Nations matches. For the above, the handicap betting is:
10/11 Ireland (-16 points), 10/11 Italy (+16 points), 16/1 Handicap tie.
10/11 England (-13 points), 10/11 Wales (+13 points), 16/1 Handicap tie.
10/11 Scotland (+6 points), 10/11 France (-6 points), 16/1 Handicap tie.

Along with outright and handicap betting on each match, online bookmakers also offer the following markets: