Six Nations Betting: What Are The Odds Of A 2022 Triple Crown Winner?
There is just one round of this year’s Six Nations remaining and with Scotland paying a visit to the Aviva Stadium this Saturday, Ireland know exactly what is up for grabs and so do the best betting sites.
Although there is the possibility that they will come away with a Championship title, this is somewhat out of their control as it is reliant on their arch-rivals England getting the better of current frontrunners France in a game that will take place later on the same day.
However, the Triple Crown is within their grasp, and UK bookmakers are offering their odds on whether or not Andy Farrell’s men are capable of securing this prize.
While the fact that the Green Army have claimed fourth Six Nations Championships and two Grand Slams within the past 13 years means Triple Crowns probably don’t mean as much as they once did, beating Wales, England and Scotland in the same calendar year remains a considerable feat.
Scotland Aren’t To Be Dismissed Lightly
The Welsh and the English have already been accounted for in the form of bonus point victories, with just one try conceded by the Irish across both of those games.
All that is left to complete a Crown success are the Scots, but it is certainly not a foregone conclusion that they will sweep aside the challenge of Gregor Townsend’s side.
They may be frustratingly inconsistent, but Scotland are a team who are capable of turning it on when in the right mood. Within the past two years, the Stuart Hogg-led outfit have defeated every other side in the Six Nations – with the exception of Ireland – away from home.
After overcoming Wales in Cardiff during the 2020 Championship, they subsequently had the measure of England and France on foreign soil in last year’s competition.
Granted, all three of these games took place behind closed doors, but this shouldn’t detract from what were notable achievements for the Scots.
2010 Six Nations – A Cautionary Tale
It was difficult to gauge how much England took from their 33-0 bonus point win over Italy in round two of the competition.
However, it was probably more than Ireland were able to garner at the Aviva a couple of weeks ago as their showdown with the Azzurri was thrown into chaos before the action had even reached the 20-minute mark.
On his second consecutive Six Nations start, Joey Carbery got the ball rolling for Ireland with a converted try. Yet this almost felt like an afterthought by comparison with what was about to unfold.
Hame Faiva was pressed into the action after Italy’s starting hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi had been withdrawn through injury, but he then received his marching orders for a high tackle on Ireland’s Dan Sheehan.
If Farrell and his fellow coaches are in search of a cautionary tale to keep their troops grounded ahead of Saturday’s clash, then they should look no further than the meeting between the same two sides in the final round of the 2010 Six Nations.
Played in Dublin’s Croke Park – which was used as a home venue by the IRFU while the Aviva Stadium was being redeveloped – Ireland entered this contest with the aim of securing a fifth Triple Crown in the space of seven years.
Earlier wins over England (at Twickenham) and Wales suggested the hosts were odds-on favourites on the best betting sites for rugby union to get the job done, but 18 points from the boot of Dan Parks – who ended his professional career with Irish province Connacht – propelled Scotland towards their only win of that year’s Championship.
Jonathan Sexton and Cian Healy both featured on that day, and will no doubt be serving up a timely reminder of never taking their forthcoming opponents for granted.
Tight Contest Expected In Dublin
Despite recording five consecutive wins over Scotland since the 2017 Six Nations, only the following year’s victory at the Aviva could be considered a convincing success for Ireland.
Fewer than 10 points have separated them in their last three meetings in the competition, with a Jonathan Sexton penalty in the 77th-minute penalty just about giving Ireland the edge at Murrayfield Stadium 12 months ago.
Though Ireland are regarded as 1/7 favourites for the game itself, meanwhile four different bookmakers are offering a value of 8/11 in the 2022 Six Nations betting on there being no Triple Crown winner for 2022.
The Irish have been the only side capable of this feat since the second round, but you have to go back to 2017 for the last time it wasn’t won.
That said, England would have added a Grand Slam and a Triple Crown to their trophy haul that year had it not been for Ireland ambushing them in a final round clash at the Aviva.
Home Advantage Could Swing It For Ireland
Still, the very fact that Ireland are on home soil this weekend makes it difficult to bet against them.
This is shown in the number of people who have been placing bets on Irish captain Sexton to lift this piece of silverware this weekend – far outstripping those who are banking on there being no presentation in the Dublin venue.
Since the aforementioned Farrell took over from Joe Schmidt in the winter of 2019, Ireland’s home form has been largely imperious.
Of the 15 Tests they have played under the Wigan native’s watch at the Aviva, only one has ended in a defeat.
That was a 15-13 reversal at the hands of France in the 2021 Six Nations, when Irish winger James Lowe had a try ruled out for having his foot marginally in touch.
Low Odds On An Irish Triple Crown
Another victory on Saturday would make it eight wins on the bounce at the Aviva and the odds of them coming away with a Triple Crown remain quite low. BetVictor and Ladbrokes rate the home side’s at 5/4 to collect at least that piece of silverware.
Twists and turns are often the order of the day on what has been coined as ‘Super Saturday’ in recent years, however, and this is a game that could well take on a life of its own.
Don’t forget the Six Nations Championship could still be in Ireland’s hands on Saturday night.