Rugby Union
Shock At Murrayfield? Wales To Topple Les Bleus? Six Nations Week Two Thoughts Here
The first round of the 2026 Six Nations has been and gone, and we are into the second week!
The first three games gave us a good number of clues as to how this year’s Championship could play out. We’ve seen star performers, strong packs and clear weaknesses that could be exploited, so round two should be properly exciting.
The table will really start to take shape after this week’s fixtures. Two wins in-a-row is what coaches dream of, two consecutive defeats would likely spell the end of any Championship hope.
Let’s dive into what should be a cracking set of fixtures.
Ireland v Italy
Ireland are looking to get back on track after their loss on the opening France. Although they fell short against the Championship’s most formidable opponents, the performance itself was arguably more of a concern than the result.
The visitors failed to lay a glove on France in the first half and, although they made somewhat of a fightback in the second 40, you never really felt as though they would get anything out of the game. That said, their 1/12 odds here suggests last week’s result was more down to France’s quality than Ireland’s weaknesses.
Italy head into this with four points to their name after victory over Scotland in Rome. Many expected the Italians to struggle due to their extensive injury list, but star man Tommaso Menoncello put on a vintage display, including a try, which saw them run out 18-15 winners. They’re the 6/1 underdogs here, but you’d be brave to count them out with the wind in their sails.
Scotland v England
Saturday evening’s game takes us north to Murrayfield, as Scotland look to build on last week’s lacklustre performance in Rome. Pressure was already building on head coach Gregor Townsend, and that loss to the former whipping boys of the competition will have done him no favours.
His side are 13/5 underdogs here and it’s hardly surprising to see. One thing in their favour is the home field advantage in one of rugby’s fiercest rivalries. This edition of the Calcutta Cup is one that has more than just a trophy on the line.
England are on a high after their 48-7 thrashing of Wales, albeit they are not the strongest team around right now. The Red Rose did exactly what they needed to do and dismissed their opponents with ease, and are fancied to do so again here as the 2/7 favourites.
This will be by no means an easy game though, or at least not as easy as last week. Henry Arundell made good use of his limited time on the ball, touching down three times despite making just eight carries. If he’s in the same prolific form, the 11/10 about him to score anytime could be great value.
Wales v France
With all due respect to Wales, this game could well be a blood bath. We haven’t seen a weaker Welsh side than this for many years, while the exact opposite could be said about their opponents.
Wales are 16/1 to pull off a shock at the Principality, but even that is hard to call a valuable bet. On the other hand, the 1/100 about France is a tricky one to angle in on.
This game will likely all be about the stars on show in the French side. Louis Bielle-Biarrey is going toe-to-toe with Tommy Freeman for scoring in consecutive Six Nations games and another here would take him to seven on the spin. Another crucial cog in the back three is Thomas Ramos, who will likely rack up another load of points, while even the home crowd will likely be left to marvel as the wizardry of Antoine Dupont at some point.
Once again, all Wales will be looking for is a respectable fight from their lads, while France will be hoping bolster their points difference as they push for back-to-back titles.
