Rugby Union 6 Nations: Scotland v England Odds and Betting Preview

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND,

The first 6 Nations game on British soil sees Scotland host England at Murrayfield this Saturday afternoon. The "Auld enemy" as the Scots like to call them, go north on the back of a disappointing World Cup and it seems that the game is very much up for grabs. England are favourites to start their campaign with a win at odds of 5/6 with StanJames.com. Scotland can be backed at 6/5 with bet365 and an unlikely tie is long at 20/1 with the same.

Andy Robinson recently asked his team to shrug off their "unlucky losers" routine and England are the perfect opposition for teams trying to prove themselves. The Scots' last outing was agonising to watch as they lost 13-12 to a nifty Argentinian side. That said the side are unbeaten at Murrayfield since 2004 and it will be up to England to break this trend. Robinson has used the success of local team Edinburgh to rebuild his squad after what was a truly dreadful World Cup. Punters can back the thistle to be the emblem of a Grand Slam campaign at a long 25/1 with Ladbrokes and at the other end of the spectrum the wooden spoon award is priced up at 11/4 with the same.

England arguably had their most controversial World Cup campaign in the history of the tournament. Some of the idiocy reported was laughable, brainless and offensive to the monarchy (and they are not the kind of people one would want to be irritating). That said its a new year and a new shape to this England team. Martin Johnson has given way to Stuart Lancaster. The new boss has had very little experience at this level and it will be incredibly interesting to see how his team shape. Manu Tuilagi and Toby Flood are both sidelined for this Calcutta Cup clash which is a worry. The side have listed 9 uncapped players in their squad of 32 which shows a futuristic approach. England can be backed at 9/2 to win the championship with William Hill and are priced up at 10/1 for the Grand Slam.

In the half-time/full-time market England/England is at 7/5 with bet365. A Scotland/England result is at 7/1 with Ladbrokes and the odds on England going in on top at half time but ending up eventual losers are at 8/1 with Ladbrokes too. Chris Ashton is the bookies favourite to run over the line first and he is at odds of 8/1 with PaddyPower. The versatile winger/fullback has scored 15 tries for England and is proving he is a world class player. Whether he plays fullback, scrumhalf or winger, there is no doubt that the tenacious Ben Foden will be in the fray. He is at odds of 12/1 with Ladbrokes to score the first try of the game. For the Scots hope lies in Max Evans. Evans plays his club rugby for Castres and has looked very impressive for them. Odds on him to give the crowd five points to cheer about early on are given at 14/1 with Ladbrokes. Exciting back Sean Lamont has claimed 40 points in 60 appearances for the Celts and he can be backed at 18/1 with Boylesports.

As ever, eyes will be on both fullbacks as they will play a pivotal role in determining a victor. Scottish hero Dan Parks faces tough opposition from Charlie Hodgson. Hodgson is at 13/10 with Betfair to score more 19.5 points in the game. For pessimists he can be backed at 10/11 for under 9.5 points with SportingBet. His English counterpart's odds are remarkably the same. The flyhalf that can dictate the play will surely go a long way to helping his team win.

Kick off is at 17.00 GMT and can be watched or listened to with the BBC.

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