Six Nations 2012 – Winner Odds and Betting Preview

The RBS Six Nations begins at the weekend and this year’s tournament looks set to be one of the most competitive renewals in recent history. The Northern Hemisphere sides performed very well in the recent Rugby World Cup as France overcame Wales in a controversial semi-final before Les Bleus narrowly lost in the final to a superb New Zealand outfit. This year’s tournament is the first chance many of the next generation of stars will have to showcase their talents on the international stage as teams begin the rebuilding process following post World Cup retirements.

The World Cup finalists France have been priced up as the 7/4 tournament favourites (bet £4 to make £7 profit) with Blue Square. France are always a surprise package in international rugby and this was evident in their results at the World Cup. Les Bleus lost a pool game against Tonga before brushing England aside in the quarter-final. They overcame a spirited Welsh side in the semis before coming up just short against New Zealand in Auckland. France will hope to regain their Six Nations crown having lost out to England in last year’s Championship, after recording their first loss against Italy. The bulk of France’s World Cup squad remain and they will play three matches on home soil which should help their cause. France can be backed at 4/1 to capture their tenth Grand Slam and there could be a possible Grand Slam decider against Wales at the Millenium Stadium on March 14th.

Wales are a young, exciting side that is full of talented individuals but their big weakness will be a lack of experience. They are available at a standout 3/1 with BetVictor to win their third Six Nations Championship. Shane Williams has now retired from international rugby but despite his absence Wales possess one of the most dangerous backlines in world rugby. Warren Gatland will be without his first choice number ten, Rhys Priestland for their opener in Ireland and James Hook will play a key role in the opening rounds of the competition. Wales have once again travelled to Poland to use the cryotherapy chambers in an intensive training camp which seemed to help the players’ fitness levels at the World Cup and it shows how seriously they are preparing for the tournament.  The Welsh face both Ireland and England away from home which may put a Grand Slam out of their reach but they have a superb chance of lifting the trophy on March 17th.

England are the 9/2 third favourites for the title with William Hill and Stan James and they can be backed at 10/1 to record an unlikely Gran Slam. England’s new boss Stuart Lancaster has named nine uncapped players in his 32 man squad for the tournament. Lancaster took over as the interim England manager following Martin Johnson’s resignation after a disappointing Rugby World Cup campaign which saw England knocked out at the quarter-final stage. A new-look England will take to the pitch at Murrayfield on Saturday as many of England’s older contingent have retired or been overlooked as Lancaster has opted to go with a younger side. Injuries to Leicester’s Manu Tuilagi and Toby Flood will keep the pair out of the start of the tournament and also Lancaster’s first-choice captain Tom Wood will miss the Calcutta Cup game with Chris Robshaw skippering the side.

Ireland can be backed at 9/2 with most firms including bet365 and Skybet and they will be without their talismanic leader Brian O’Driscoll for the entire tournament. The Irish denied England a grand slam last year and they play three matches on home soil during this campaign. The Irish provinces have been playing very well in the Heineken Cup competition and the Emerald Isle has three sides in the quarter-finals. The team has struggled for consistency in recent years but Ireland showed glimpses of what they are capable of in the World Cup against Australia before they were exposed by a rampant Welsh side. They could be the dark horses for this year’s tournament but it remains to be seen how badly they will miss O’Driscoll in the midfield.

Scotland endured a torrid World Cup campaign and they are quoted at 25/1 with Ladbrokes to win the tournament but more realistically for any punters who believe they will struggle the Scots are available at 11/4 to take this year’s wooden spoon. Scotland failed to make it out of the group at the World Cup but they have an exciting group of players that have shown signs of promise in recent years. Edinburgh have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup after becoming the first Scottish club in the history of the competition to top a Pool and six players from that club will start the opening game in Murrayfield against England.

Italy are the 200/1 with Stan James to lift the crown and they have been quoted as the 4/7 favourites with Betfred to take home this year’s wooden spoon. The Italians are slowly becoming a stronger force in the international game and they will hope to record another historic victory having beaten France in Rome last year. Much will be expected of last year’s player of the tournament Andrea Masi and the Italian pack will slow ball down against all their opponents. They have a very experienced scrummager in Martin Castrogiovani and their skipper, Sergio Parisse is a world class talent who will lead from the front.

The opening match of the tournament begins at 14.30 GMT on Saturday 4th February and the BBC will broadcast every game.

Six Nations 2012 – Winner Odds

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