Six Nations predictions, rugby union tips and odds: Wales ready to claim crowning glory

Tournament starts 2.15pm Saturday

Best bets

Wales to win Triple Crown
2pts 11-1 bet365

England to win exactly two matches
2pts 5-2 Hills

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Tournament preview

The start of the Six Nations always brings with it a buzz of intrigue and anticipation, and this year there’s more than ever. World number one side Ireland and champions France head the betting and look a cut above the rest on last year’s showing. England and Wales have new - or not-so-new - coaches at the helm, and Scotland are as excellent and erratic in turns as ever, while Italy finally found a way to win in 2022.

Add to that a Rugby World Cup in the offing at the end of the year and the stage is set for a fascinating tournament. But what can we expect from each of the contenders?

Ireland 13-10

A historic series win against the All Blacks in New Zealand last summer propelled Ireland to the top of the World Rugby rankings and they rounded off the year with a clean sweep in the autumn.

They had to settle for second in last year’s Six Nations but were the top tryscorers and boasted the best defence. A six-point defeat to France in Paris was the only blip on their record and they have home advantage this year against Les Bleus, as well as for their final-round clash with England.

It’s hard to pick holes in this Irish team but they are a short price given the unforgiving format of the competition and the tricky test they face first up in Wales.

Ireland have lost their last four Six Nations matches in Cardiff and the return of Warren Gatland as Wales coach will not only lift the Welsh players and fans, it throws Ireland’s preparations into turmoil in terms of what to expect from the hosts.

France 2-1

Worthy Grand Slam winners last year, Les Bleus not only went unbeaten through the year, they firmly overturned the old image of mercurial, flakey France, the team who could never be relied on.

It has to be said their summer and autumn schedule wasn’t the toughest - they played only five Tests, three of them against tier-two Japan - but narrow wins against South Africa and Australia were hard-fought. Bear in mind too, the autumn’s World Cup is in France and there will be extra motivation for the hosts to lay down an early marker.

The French have to go to Dublin and Twickenham - they have not won at both venues since 2005 although they did come close in 2021, winning 15-13 in Ireland and losing 23-20 to England.

Again, the price isn’t that attractive, but given the huge gulf between the top two and the rest, plus the uncertainty in their key rivals’ camps following the coaching changes, the Ireland-France dual forecast at 6-4 may prove popular.

England 4-1

Under Eddie Jones England picked up just two wins in each of the last two Six Nations campaigns, and a disappointing autumn brought an end to his reign.

One of the criticisms levelled at the Australian was his inability to settle on a group of players or system in his backline and the incoming Steve Borthwick has already revealed his preference for mobility over the Jones mantra of physicality and power.

How big a transition that will be remains to be seen. Borthwick has home fixtures against Scotland and Italy to build confidence and prepare for what should be bigger tests to come, but the Calcutta Cup opener is a huge challenge given England’s record of one win in the last five meetings.

It feels like there is too much to do and the path becomes very steep after those two fixtures, with trips to Cardiff and Dublin plus a home clash with France in between. Two wins is all that England have managed in the last two years, and the 5-2 that that proves their limit again looks worth taking.

Wales 12-1

Like England, Wales got rid of head coach Wayne Pivac after the autumn series, but the difference is that they have brought back his predecessor Warren Gatland, who will be working with a group of players he knows well and has a record of turning things around fast.

He arrived in Wales after their pool-stage World Cup exit in 2007 and immediately guided them to a Grand Slam, and the team as a whole are renowned for their ability to quickly rebuild from setbacks. Their last Six Nations title in 2021 came a year after they had won just three of ten Tests - against Italy twice and Georgia.

The key for Wales is their opening fixture against Ireland at home - a clash they have had the better of in recent years - and there can be no better time to face the tournament favourites than in round one, when the boost of Gatland’s return will be felt strongest by the players and fans. The visitors will also be less sure of what they are facing.

Wales have a decent record in France, where they go in round four, but the timing of the clash with Ireland, followed by a trip to Scotland and a home game against England, make the 11-1 about a Welsh Triple Crown a standout price.

Scotland 25-1

In the last six years Scotland have picked up victories against all of their Six Nations rivals but never been able to make that crucial leap from three wins in a campaign to the four needed to be in the title reckoning. Last year was a similar story - they beat England in round one but couldn’t build on that and only one more win followed, against Italy.

Their autumn was full of promise with wins over Samoa and Argentina plus narrow defeats to Australia and New Zealand, and their attacking game looked in good order. They have named a strong team for Saturday’s clash at Twickenham and look sure to pull off an upset somewhere on the way, but are hard to back until they have found a way to put together a run of victories.

Italy 500-1

The Azzurri finally got the monkey off their back in 2022, ending a 36-match losing run in the Six Nations with a dramatic 22-21 success over Wales in the final round.

They also recorded a historic first win over Australia in the summer, but quotes of 1-6 that they finish bottom again and 1-5 that they fail to win a match tell you Italy are a long way from turning a corner.

However, fly-half Tommy Allen and winger Matteo Minozzi are back in the squad, while a new star was unearthed last year in Ange Capuozzo and that injection of class to the attack may give them a scoring edge to stay within some big handicaps.

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