The 2024 Six Nations Championship gets underway at the start of February. France is the betting favorite to win the competition. But with Ireland looking to defend the title and England naming a young and new-look squad, it won’t be easy for the French. Here, in our latest Rugby betting picks, we look ahead to the competition and name our 2024 Six Nations best bets.
- The 2024 Six Nations starts on Friday, February 2nd, with France vs. Ireland from Paris. The competition concludes on Saturday, March 16th, with France vs. England, also from Paris
- Ireland are the current champions. The Irish won the 2023 title with 27 points and also won the Grand Slam
- Going into the 2024 championship, France and Ireland are the two stand-out nations. As the French have home advantage in their matches against Ireland and England, they go into the Championship as the betting favorites
After a disappointing 2023 Rugby World Cup for the Northern Hemisphere teams, attention now turns to the 2024 Six Nations Championship.
☘️ IRELAND WIN 🏆
Ireland are 2023 Six Nations champions, and they've done it with a first Grand Slam secured in Dublin.
It could be a very late night. 👀#BBCRugby #IREvENG #SixNations pic.twitter.com/YGkNCdt3Fw
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 18, 2023
Ireland are the defending champions, but France go into this year’s competition with home advantage in the big games.
The French and Irish both crashed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. At the time, they were the two top-ranked sides in the world, with either expected to go on and win the World Cup for the first time.
The resulting final between South Africa and New Zealand will have hurt both the Northern Hemisphere favorites, as will England's performance, going deeper into the competition. How France and Ireland respond to this disappointment is what makes the 2024 Six Nations Championship all the more intriguing.
Betting to win the 2024 Six Nations
The countries competing in the Six Nations only play each other once, meaning there are no home and away fixtures. The two betting favorites and strongest nations in the competition are France and Ireland. This year, it’s France’s turn to host the Irish in Paris, giving the 2022 title winners a huge advantage.
As well as having a home-field advantage against the Irish, the French also play England in Paris. This has resulted in France being made outright betting favorites to win the competition with the best online rugby betting sites.
France is +130 to win the 2024 Six Nations Championship. The last time they had home advantage over Ireland and England was in 2022, and on that occasion, the French completed the Grand Slam.
If Ireland are to defend their trophy this year, the chances are they are going to have to win the opening match of the competition in Paris. It’s a shame that the main shootout of the whole competition takes place on the opening night. But what a fixture to get the competition started with. Ireland are currently +170 second favorites to win. Expect those odds to flip if Ireland can shock the French in Paris.
England are third in the betting at +550. The bookmakers regard England as the only nation capable of upsetting France or Ireland. That’s not our view, by the way, as we feel that Scotland is just as likely as the English. But the bookmakers have Scotland as the fourth favorite at +1400.
Completing the betting are Wales at +2000 and Italy at +25000. Full 2024 Six Nations betting odds can be found on our Rugby Union odds table.
| 2024 Six Nations Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | +130 | +130 | +130 |
| Ireland | +170 | +170 | +170 |
| England | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Scotland | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Wales | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Italy | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
France +130
The French have no Antoine Dupont for this year’s competition. Their star man and captain is missing the tournament as he is preparing to play for France in the Rugby Sevens in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dupont will be a huge miss, but home advantage in the big games should get France by.
BREAKING: France captain Antoine Dupont set to miss next year's Six Nations in order to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. 🇫🇷🏉
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 15, 2023
Ireland +170
Another nation looking to move on from their talisman is Ireland who have no Johnny Sexton after the fly-half and former captain retired from international rugby at the end of the 2023 World Cup. The experienced Peter O’Mahony is the new captain.
Ireland will miss the experience and knowledge of Sexton. But the team is a well-oiled machine that will be well able to cope.
England +550
Another team in the rebuilding phase is England. Head coach Steve Borthwick already knew he was without Owen Farrell. But as well as needing a new captain (he named Jamie George), Borthwick has also made changes to his wider squad and his coaching staff. It’s the start of a new era. And maybe it’s too soon for England to be realistic contenders.
England have named their squad for the Six Nations 👥
Hooker Jamie George has been named captain for England's Six Nations campaign in the absence of Owen Farrell.#BBCRugby #SixNations pic.twitter.com/zNApvAgEbZ
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 17, 2024
Scotland +1400
The Scottish team is another side that hasn’t undergone any major changes since the 2023 World Cup, and they should do okay in this year’s Championship with home matches against France and England helping their cause.
In Finn Russell, the Scots have one of the most in-form players in world rugby. At +333, Scotland is a good bet to finish above England in third place.
Wales +2000
The Welsh are another side looking to rebuild under the leadership of the experienced Warren Gatland.
Gatland will have his work cut out. On the eve of his squad announcement, he lost Louis Rees-Zammit (he quit rugby to pursue a career in the NFL), who was one of the new generation of players the Welsh head coach was looking to take the team forward with.
Wales could go under the radar. But it’s hard to see them finishing any higher than fifth.
Italy +25000
Italy has been going backward for a long time in the Six Nations. They have won the Wooden Spoon 18 times, including the last eight in succession. Italy are -250 to win it this year, and we think that is a great betting pick.
Our Pick to Win the 2024 Six Nations Championship
We expect this competition to be a close-run thing this year. Plenty of sides have areas they are working on, and there could be some shock match results.
But ultimately, France has a home advantage in their two big games against Ireland and England. That should be enough to see them win the 2024 Six Nations.
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