Six Nations Betting: What Are The Odds Of A Grand Slam In 2023?
Despite there being two rounds of fixtures left to play, only one team remains in the running for a Grand Slam in this year’s Six Nations Championship.
Betting sites have been offering their takes on who might come away with this top prize in the 2023 edition of the tournament, but their focus has narrowed with each passing week.
Heading into round three on the weekend beginning February 25, both Ireland and Scotland were in the running for a Slam success.
While the Irish maintained their push for a clean sweep of honours with a victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the Scots came up short against last season’s Grand Slam winners France in Saint-Denis.
Several Contenders Out Of The Race
The ties played out to date have shown how difficult it is to put together a winning run of five games.
After pulling off this feat in 2022, France’s hopes of doing so again were dashed by Ireland on the second weekend of the current Six Nations.
Thirteen-time winners of a Grand Slam across the various guises of the Championship – albeit only two of them have come in the Six Nations era – England kick-started their campaign with a reversal to arch-rivals Scotland.
Warren Gatland guided Wales to three Slams in his first tenure as head coach, but has returned to the hot seat during a time of considerable turmoil for his employers WRU.
They lost out to Ireland in their first game of the tournament, before also subsequently coming off second best to Scotland and England.
Neither the Scots or Italy have secured the Slam since it became the Six Nations in 2000 and both of them are out of the reckoning heading into this weekend’s action.
Odds Strong On Ireland Winning The Slam
Given their status as the number one ranked side in world rugby, it is unsurprising in the one sense that Ireland are the last team standing in the hunt for a Grand Slam.
After ending a 61-year wait for a Slam victory in 2009, it took them just nine more years to pull off the same achievement.
They are looking to bridge an even narrower gap this year and the best betting sites for rugby union are confident that Andy Farrell’s men have what it takes to get the job done over the next fortnight.
In advance of their trip to Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh this Sunday for a mouthwatering duel against Scotland, UK bookmakers are offering odds of 8/13 on the Green Army coming away with a Grand Slam in 2023.
In addition to defeating the Scots, Ireland would also have to overcome England in order to win all the honours available to them, but bookmakers believe it is well within their reach.
Injury List Shortening For The Irish
Thus far, Ireland have managed to cope admirably with a succession of injury problems to defeat Wales, France and Italy in consecutive fashion.
Although the likes of Tadhg Beirne and Finlay Bealham will be marked absent for the closing two rounds of the Championship, a number of players have now returned from the treatment table.
Team captain Jonathan Sexton, Robbie Henshaw, Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Furlong have all regained full fitness, and are expected to be available for selection on Sunday.
The latter triumvirate have yet to see action in this spring international window, but were previously first-choice players in the eyes of Farrell and his fellow coaches.
The quartet of Cian Healy, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey and James Lowe did miss out on training last week, but were nonetheless named in the squad for this weekend’s game.
As much as Farrell relishes the idea of players being thrown in at the deep end, having a full hand to pick from will give them the best possible chance of completing their Grand Slam mission.
Grand Slam Winner Doesn’t Always Emerge In Six Nations
Yet a cursory glance at the Six Nations history books shows how elusive a Slam can be at times.
From 23 previous editions of the Championship, a Grand Slam winner has emerged on just 12 occasions. From 2011 to 2015, there was just one Slam champion – Wales in 2012.
The prize also remained idle in 2020 and 2021, when the presence of empty stadiums brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic diluted the power of home advantage to a considerable extent.
As impressive as they have been so far in 2023 – and over the past 24 months in general – Ireland will need to produce strong performances against Scotland and England over the next two weekends to earn their third Grand Slam in the space of 14 years.
Whilst they still believe Ireland can do the business, betting apps aren’t ruling out the idea of them being denied by one or both of their near neighbours.
Prospect Of No Slam Champion Is Being Considered
The possibility of no Slam winner being anointed in 2023 is rated at 11/8 with Bet365.
There is the potential for Ireland to wrap up the Six Nations Championship title by the end of this weekend’s fare, but they will be hell-bent on adding a Grand Slam to that success if it does come to pass on Sunday.
Even though current form might suggest that Scotland stand the best chance of denying Ireland in this lofty quest, Steve Borthwick’s English side would love nothing more than to spoil an Irish party on St Patrick’s weekend.