Rugby Union
Six Nations Round 3 preview
After some incredible second round antics, the Six Nations returns for the third round, with some of the best fixtures of the tournament taking place this weekend.
We preview all three games below.
Bet on the Six Nations with William Hill
Ireland v Wales – February 24th 2.15pm
Ireland and Wales kick off proceedings for the third round of the Six Nations, following the Irish’s immaculate start to the tournament, dispatching joint favourites France on their home soil, and more recently oozing class in a 36-0 victory over Italy. They’re 1/25 to give the Welsh a similar treatment and seem to be going from strength to strength following their disappointment in the World Cup last year.
Despite Ireland looking a shoo-in for a clean sweep in the tournament this year, hunting down the prestigious Grand Slam, Andy Farrell won’t be letting his men get complacent ahead of their clash against Wales. Warren Gatland’s men have been lacklustre so far this competition, having been handed two losses in two games, however one would imagine this has ignited something in them to finish off their Six Nations campaign strongly. They are however stark outsiders at 9/1, so the best bet looks to be Wales (+22) at 10/11.
Wales could have been considered slightly unlucky losers against both Scotland and England and have showed they have the type of grit and determination to compete with the top. Despite the odds showing a hammering on behalf of the Irish against the Welsh, both teams will be geared up for the occasion and it might not be so one-sided as everyone is expecting.
Scotland v England – February 24th 4.45pm
This really is the headline game of the round, with both Scotland and England eyeing up the ever-valuable Calcutta Cup. Scotland are favourites at 4/7 to take the Cup home for the fourth year in succession but also will be keen to gain some ground on the Irish who seem to be running away with the tournament after just two games.
Scotland got relatively unlucky in their game against France, having looked like the better team for most of the game, and fell victim to a rather controversial try call that went against them in the end. This is the most even match of all three fixtures and we shouldn’t see either team running rampant. England showed some resilience against Wales in their last game, digging themselves out of a bit of trouble to win 16-14, and could build on their success even further by bringing home the Calcutta Cup after it being absent from their trophy cabinet for too long.
England did show some signs of weakness in their last fixture, picking up two yellow cards as a result of poor discipline, and will have to set themselves straight to give themselves the best chance against their Scottish counterparts. The slight outsiders at 6/4, England are yet to show a convincing display throughout the whole 80 minutes, so Scotland might just edge it.
France v Italy – February 25th 3.00pm
France have been in a bit of a slump since their loss to South Africa in the World Cup final and are yet to hit full stride in their Six Nations campaign. They’ve had to deal with a change in assistant coaches since their big defeat last year, whilst the loss of key man Antoine Dupont may explain their stagnant performances of late. This match against Italy seems to have come at the perfect time for Les Bleus as they look to kick themselves back into gear and are unsurprisingly short at 1/100 to beat Italy.
Italy provided a good showing against England in the opening game but have since fallen victim to the dominant Ireland side, who absolutely took them to the cleaners. Should Italy be able to draw on the positives from their first game, they could steal a few points against the French but don’t look like they have any chance of walking away with a result at 16/1.
Despite Italy’s rather novel presence in the Six Nations, they’re a team with a solid fanbase both in Italy and amongst rugby fans in general and it’s always good to see them put in a good performance. So should you want to squeeze any value from this game, Italy (+27) at 10/11 might just be the choice here.
