Six Nations Betting: What Are The Odds Of A 2022 Triple Crown Winner?
Daire Walsh
It may not necessarily be at the top of their wish list, but the two remaining teams left in the running for a Six Nations Triple Crown will nonetheless be hoping to add this accolade to their respective rolls of honour in the coming weeks.
The best betting sites are offering odds on either Ireland or Scotland coming away with this prize in 2022, while also examining the prospect of it being stored away for another 12 months without an outright winner.
Because the four teams in the hunt for a Triple Crown were all in action across two games on the opening weekend of the Six Nations, there was always going to be just a couple of teams left standing come the end of the first round (barring a set of draws wiping out all contenders).
Ireland were always expected to be one of the two sides still in the reckoning, but it came as something of a surprise to see the Scots joining them.
Ireland And Scotland Pull Out All The Stops
Even though Wales were Triple Crown winners in 2021, a raft of injuries meant they were up against it when facing an in-form Ireland in Dublin.
Andy Farrell’s Green Army justified their favourites tag on the best betting sites for rugby union with a dominant performance in front of a packed crowd of 51,700.
Meanwhile, despite getting the better of England in a barren Twickenham Stadium last year, Gregor Townsend’s charges were underdogs heading into the latest meeting with their old rivals on Saturday.
However, it was the hosts who came out on top at Murrayfield to claim a third win from their last five Six Nations duels with the English.
Triple Crown May Remain Idle In 2022
In a similar vein to the odds being offered for a Grand Slam, the prospect of there being no Triple Crown winner is rated as the most likely option with UK bookmakers.
William Hill is at 10/11 for neither Ireland nor Scotland achieving this goal, but you have to go back to 2017 for the last time the Triple Crown wasn’t handed out in the competition.
Back then, having already claimed the Championship title, Eddie Jones’ England arrived at the Aviva Stadium on the final day of the competition with designs on adding a Grand Slam and Crown to their trophy cabinet.
Yet Ireland were hell-bent on spoiling the party for their cross-channel adversaries and a converted Iain Henderson try ensured they came away with a 13-9 win.
Ireland Hunting For 12th Triple Crown
Under the stewardship of Joe Schmidt, the Irish secured the Triple Crown as part of a Grand Slam success in 2018. This was their 11th time claiming this honour and their fifth during the era of the Six Nations.
The first of their modern day Crown triumphs was in 2004 and it bridged a 19-year gap to the previous season they defeated England, Scotland and Wales in the one Championship campaign.
Remarkably, Ireland went on to win it four times in the space of just six years. While that success of 2004 meant a lot more back then than it might do now, there is no doubt that they will want to claim bragging rights over England and Scotland in the coming weeks.
Because France provide the opposition for Ireland this weekend, they will remain in the hunt for a Triple Crown irrespective of how their Saturday clash in Stade de France pans out.
For this reason it is little surprise that Betfair have Farrell’s men at 6/4 to claim a Triple Crown this season.
Wales Game Huge For Scotland In Race For Triple Crown
Scotland, on the other hand, could be either one game away from securing the Crown or completely out of the running for it come the end of this weekend.
They face Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon and will be aiming to back up their impressive display against England with a second victory in the space of seven days.
Wayne Pivac’s side may be out of the running for everything bar the Championship – and even that is something of a stretch following their resounding loss to Ireland – but will be looking to put a dent in Scotland’s own aspirations and blow a hole in the 2022 Six Nations betting odds.
The Scots were the winners of the first Triple Crown back in 1891, but didn’t reach double figures in the roll of honours until 1990.
That was their most recent success in the competition – they also completed a Grand Slam that year – but they will be feeling confident of remaining in the race by the end of play on Saturday.
Ladbrokes currently have Scotland’s chances of securing a first Triple Crown in 32 years rated at 6/1.
Ireland face England in Twickenham before their final round clash with the Scots in Dublin on March 19 and it will be interesting to see if both sides will still be in the running for the Crown – or indeed a Six Nations or a Grand Slam – by that point.