Six Nations 2024 Betting Preview

February is one of the most anticipated months for Rugby Union fans, signalling the latest edition of the pre-eminent annual tournament on the Northern Hemisphere calendar. Hot on the heels of the thrilling 2023 Rugby World Cup, France and Italy join the home nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland in the battle for Six Nations glory.

With 15 fixtures crammed into around six weeks of action, the 2024 edition of the tournament looks set to be a fiercely contested affair. Here, we provide a snapshot of each nation and pick out our best betting selections for one of the first major sporting events of the year.

France

• World Ranking - 4
• 2023 Finishing Position - 2nd
• Betting Odds - 6/5 with Midnite

After all the build-up and anticipation, France didn't quite deliver a World Cup victory on home soil. Not that Les Bleus lost too much in defeat as they bowed out to eventual champions South Africa in an epic quarter-final encounter. Will that disappointment have left a mark on the squad, or can they bounce back at the first time of asking and reclaim the Six Nations crown?

If France are to come out on top, they must do so without star Scrum Half Antoine Dupont, who misses the tournament. However, they are far from a one-man team and blew away New Zealand, Australia, and Italy at the World Cup before that narrow loss to the Springboks. Significantly, they face nearest market rivals Ireland on home soil in the opening game. Win that, and they will be well on their way to a second Six Nations title in three years.

Ireland

• World Ranking - 2
• 2023 Finishing Position - 1st
• Betting Odds - 15/8 with Starsports

Next in the betting is the side who swept all before them to land the Grand Slam last season. Much like France, Ireland headed into the World Cup with high hopes, but, also like France, they crashed out at the quarter-final stage when losing out to New Zealand.

Ireland has another thing in common with France, as they will head into the tournament without their most influential player of recent years following the retirement of all-time top points scorer and captain Johnny Sexton. How they adapt to life without their talisman remains to be seen, but there is more than enough talent in the ranks to suggest they can cope. On the downside, the fixture list hasn’t been particularly kind, with the Irish facing tough-looking trips to the Orange Vélodrome and Twickenham.

England

• World Ranking - 5
• 2023 Finishing Position - 4th
• Betting Odds - 7/1 with Spreadex

Unlike France and Ireland, very little was expected of England ahead of the 2023 World Cup. As such, Steve Borthwick’s troops did far better than expected in making it all the way to the semi-final stage before losing out by just a point to South Africa.

Continuing the theme of missing players, England head into battle without the reliable boot and influence of Owen Farrell, who skips the event to continue his Olympic preparations. Replacement Marcus Smith may not be quite as reliable from the tee, but he is a big threat in open play and adds a welcome dose of flair to what can appear a static approach at times. The opportunity to play Ireland at home is a positive, and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if England were in with a chance ahead of their final fixture in Lyon.

Scotland

• World Ranking - 6
• 2023 Finishing Position - 3rd
• Betting Odds - 12/1 with BetGoodwin

As many anticipated, escaping a group containing Ireland and South Africa proved beyond Scotland at the World Cup. In truth, Gregor Townsend’s men never looked like troubling either of those rivals, suggesting they remain a notch or two below the elite despite the recent improvements.

Three away fixtures don’t help the cause of Finn Russel and co, and it’s tough to see the side bettering the highly respectable third-place finish of 2023. That said, the Scots possess enough attacking threat to cause a shock or two should everything click and may dent the chances of France or England at Hampden Park.

Wales

• World Ranking - 8
• 2023 Finishing Position - 5th
• Betting Odds - 40/1 with Sporting Index

Wales were labelled a team in transition ahead of the World Cup, and they don’t appear much more settled ahead of this latest assignment. In Warren Gatland, they undoubtedly have the right man in the hot seat, having won this in 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2019 under the Kiwi Coach, but losing stalwarts from the front row and match winners Dan Biggar and Louis Rees Zammit, makes life tough. What remains, is a squad short on experience and likely a tournament or two away from making their presence felt.

Italy

• World Ranking - 11
• 2023 Finishing Position - 6th
• Betting Odds - 500/1 with Spreadex

Invariably the red-hot favourites for the wooden spoon award, things are no different for Italy in 2024. The World Cup went largely as expected, with Italy proving much too good for second-tier nations Uruguay and Namibia but being blown off the park by both New Zealand and France. A single victory seems most likely to come in their home clash with Scotland, but even that would be a shock given the glaring defensive issues in the side.

Recommended Bets

• France Grand Slam - 5/2 with BetGoodwin
• England Triple Crown - 4/1 with BetGoodwin
• France/England Straight Forecast - 7/1 with 10Bet

Fixtures

• France vs Ireland - Friday 2nd February 8:00pm
• Italy vs England - Saturday 3rd February 2:15pm
• Wales vs Scotland - Saturday 3rd February 4:45pm
• Scotland vs France - Saturday 10th February 2:15pm
• England vs Wales - Saturday 10th February 4:45pm
• Ireland vs Italy - Sunday 11th February 3:00pm
• Ireland vs Wales - Saturday 24th February 2:15pm
• Scotland vs England - Saturday 24th February 4:45pm
• France vs Italy - Sunday 25th February 3:00pm
• Italy vs Scotland - Saturday 9th March 2:15pm
• England vs Ireland - Saturday 9th March 4:45pm
• Wales vs France - Sunday 10th March 3:00pm
• Wales vs Italy - Saturday 16th March 2:15pm
• Ireland vs Scotland - Saturday 16th March 4:45pm
• France vs England - Saturday 16th March 8:00pm

Six Nations Winners (2000-present)

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