Six Nations Betting: What Are The Odds On The 2023 Championship Winner?
Four teams are still left in the running for the title and with a busy weekend of action coming fast on the horizon, betting sites are offering their take on the likely winners of this year’s Six Nations.
Following three defeats to date in the tournament, both Italy and Wales are officially out of the reckoning for a Championship success.
With only a maximum of 10 points available to them, second-from-bottom Italy aren’t in a position to catch Ireland – who currently sit at the summit of the table with 15 points to their name.
The Azzurri have conjured just a single point in the opening three rounds of this year’s Six Nations, a losing bonus from their opening encounter against France in Rome.
Wales, on the other hand, are a point further back and their biggest motivation in the closing two rounds of the Championship is to avoid picking up the wooden spoon.
Further up the table, Scotland, England and France are all on 10 points and while a Six Nations Grand Slam title has been ruled out for all three, they remain in the hunt for a Six Nations crown.
Whereas the Scots have already faced the English and the French this year, the latter duo are set to square off at Twickenham Stadium this coming Saturday.
Ireland Leading The Way For Six Nations Title
Ireland continue to be the team to watch out for however, and deservedly head into their clash with Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Saturday as favourites on the best betting sites for rugby union.
Six Nations winners in 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2018, the Green Army are seeking to go a step further than last season’s second-place finish.
Andy Farrell’s men did come away with silverware in the shape of a Triple Crown just under 12 months ago, but will be determined to expand upon that in 2023.
UK bookmakers are in no doubt when it comes to the Irish rating them at 1/10 for a Championship victory.
Scots Posing Big Challenge To Irish At The Moment
There is a chance that Ireland could have the Six Nations wrapped up by the end of the weekend, depending on how other results go.
Scotland will have the perfect opportunity to prevent Ireland from doing so on Sunday, which – by extension – will also keep them in contention for a maiden Six Nations title and their first Championship honours since 1999.
Following impressive wins over England and Wales, Gregor Townsend’s side fought back from a difficult start to make a real game of their third round clash with France and they could win the Six Nations Triple Crown with a victory on Sunday.
Ireland are the current world number one, but the Scots have run them close on a number of occasions in recent years as well as beating them in the 2013 and 2017 Six Nations Championships.
Despite being the least successful of the four teams who still have a shot at winning the trophy, they are rated as second favourites for this year’s Six Nations at this juncture.
The most common odds available on a Scottish Championship triumph are 10/1. But, you’ll find Ladbrokes offering 11/1 on them claiming the glory.
Widely viewed as the best Scottish team of the Six Nations era, they are a dangerous proposition to Ireland, particularly with their star players Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg in fine form thus far.
France Outsiders Despite Being Defending Champions
Strange as it seems, France – the Grand Slam winners in 2022 – are only third favourites for the Six Nations.
This is despite their clean sweep of Championship honours last year and the fact they’ve won two of their three games in this year’s Six Nations.
Nevertheless, there is a sense that Les Bleus aren’t performing to quite the same level in 2023.
They were made to work for a 29-24 win over Italy in the opening round of the tournament and Ireland had 13 points to spare over them in Dublin on February 11.
While France bounced back to beat Scotland 32-21 on their home patch in Saint-Denis last Sunday week, it was strong scoring bursts at the beginning and the end of the game that secured them the spoils.
19-0 in front by the 20th-minute, the hosts were just four points ahead during the dying stages of the game, before Gaël Fickou’s final-minute converted try finally put the tie beyond Scotland’s reach.
As it stands, the shortest odds available on France winning the Six Nations is 14/1.
Most bookmakers have them at 20/1, but William Hill are pushing the boat out to a huge odds of 25/1.
England Still In The Running, But Championship Success Is Unlikely
Playing under a new head coach in Steve Borthwick, England have kept themselves in the frame for a Six Nations without necessarily looking likely to pull off such a feat.
Following an opening day reversal to Scotland – a third in succession to their near neighbours – the English had the measure of Italy and Wales.
These are still games they are expected to win, but England will be up against it when they take on France this weekend.
Having won just four of their games across the 2021 and 2022 Six Nations, anticipation wasn’t particularly high for them coming into the tournament.
They could have a part to play in the destination of the Six Nations trophy, but Borthwick’s charges are an outside bet for the Championship themselves.
Most betting apps have England rated at 33/1, but a lot of things need to fall their way for that to happen.