The 2023 Six Nations competition so far hasn’t failed to deliver on its promise to provide top class entertainment and drama, that’s for sure. Ireland’s match against France at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday was about as good as it gets, and one that will long live in the memory. But with Ireland’s win now putting them in pole position to win the championship, what value bets remain to be placed throughout the remainder of the competition? Here we take a look with our latest rugby betting picks.
- Ireland top the Six Nations table with two wins from two and are now eyeing the Triple Crown and Grand Slam
- Scotland and England are Ireland’s main obstacles to sweeping the competition and winning all the above
- Only Scotland are unbeaten alongside Ireland, but they face France in Paris when the competition resumes on the weekend of February 25th and 26th
This year’s Six Nations competition is being covered as part of a Netflix documentary, and boy did the streaming giant choose a year to go behind the scenes of the Northern Hemisphere's top Rugby Union competition.
The six European rugby unions taking part can rub their Southern Hemisphere counterparts up the wrong way with their constant claims that this is the top international competition in rugby outside of the Rugby World Cup. But on Saturday, they had a match to back that statement up.
Ireland and France serve up a classic
Ireland and France, the number one and two respectively ranked sides in Rugby, went toe-to-toe at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It was a brutal match that anybody watching just couldn’t take their eyes off. And even the most ardent fan of Southern Hemisphere rugby would have to reluctantly agree that given the current state of play, the nations from that half of the globe would have struggled to compete against the Irish or the French, based on this match.
It was a game for the ages, but what exactly did Ireland do so well to defeat France?
We take a deeper look at a remarkable match in Dublin 🔍
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 16, 2023
2023 Six Nations Winner Betting
In the end, the Irish came through, winning 32-19 in what was a pulsating game. But in winning the match, the Irish also went -400 to win the 2023 Championship, and in the process, leave the French as +2500 outsiders.
Scotland are now Ireland’s biggest rivals to win the championship at +450. But like we mentioned earlier, they have to go to Paris next. The Irish are simply now looking a certainty to win the championship. But with an away game at Scotland, and home fixture against England (who could yet turn out to be party-poopers), betting on Ireland at those odds is now of questionable value.
Scotland goes to Paris next. Lose there, and the odds on Scotland will also drift significantly. So at the moment, if you do want to bet on Ireland at those odds, you will need to get on now, as they are only going to shorten further. For your convenience, we’ve sourced the top online rugby betting sites for the latest odds, and put them together in our odds table below.
| Latest Six Nations Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | -400 | -400 | -450 |
| Scotland | +450 | +450 | +425 |
| England | +2000 | +1900 | +2000 |
| France | +2500 | +2500 | +2200 |
| Wales | +100000 | +8000 | +100000 |
| Italy | +100000 | +150000 | +100000 |
What are the 2023 Six Nations value bets?
It’s currently difficult to say. If we work on the assumption that Ireland is going to blow it, then England at +2000, and France at +2500, immediately look good value. In particular England, as they still have to play Ireland. Which means that England’s destiny is still in their own hands. As opposed to France who require someone else to beat Ireland to let them back in the competition.
Ireland’s next match is against Italy on Saturday 25th February. The chances are this should be a routine win for Andy Farrell’s men. It’s in the following match that things start to get difficult, as Ireland have to go to Edinburgh to take on Scotland.
Like Enlgand, Scotland’s destiny is still in their own hands. But it might not be by the time they line up against the Irish, as they may well have already come unstuck in Paris in Week 3. This is what makes betting on Scotland at +450 not look great value.
So taking all of that into consideration, England at +2000 looks to be a decent value outside bet. But that’s all it is, an outside bet. It’s unlikely England will win their three remaining matches. And even if England do win all their games, it might not be enough to win the championship. As it will depend on bonus points, and points difference in the event of a tie.
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Ireland to win the Grand Slam
Ireland’s three remaining matches are away to Italy, away to Scotland, and at home to England. As the number one side in the world, these are three matches the Irish would expect to win.
They have a week to recover from the France match before taking on Italy, and they then have another weekend off before they face the Scots and the English. They have beaten Scotland in 11 of their last 12 matches against them. And they will expect to do so again on March 12th.
If Ireland win that, they will then take on England at the Aviva Stadium on March 18th looking to sweep the championship and complete the Grand Slam. To complete the Grand Slam, Ireland is -150. On current form, that looks like the only inevitable outcome of the Six Nations. And it has to be our updated Six Nations betting pick.
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