Betting preview: Ireland to go two from two
Ahead of the action in Round Two of the Six Nations, we take a look at the best bets from two of the big games taking place this weekend.
Ireland v Wales
It is only Round Two in the annual international tournament but these games could already be competition-defining encounters. Both sides opened their campaigns with victories but the result on Saturday may well decide the direction they head in over the next month.
For Ireland, they have the advantage of being at home but Andy Farrell, despite being content with the performance against Scotland, will surely demand an improvement versus the World Cup semi-finalists.
Although the Scots played well in Dublin, the Irish were disappointing and there wasn’t much difference from their failed World Cup. They were conservative, physical and direct, which made it too easy for the Scottish rearguard, and Farrell’s men will need a bit more variety this weekend.
Wales themselves didn’t particularly play that well in their opening contest but it was hard to judge against a pretty awful Italy outfit. New boss Wayne Pivac will have been relatively pleased, however, having seen the defence shut out their opponents and the attack look relatively cohesive at times.
It will be the set-piece which will most concern Pivac though. They struggled against Italy’s scrum and Ireland will no doubt target that area with Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong both excellent in that area.
With the hosts therefore having the edge up front, they are favourites at 4/6 with various companies to claim the win, while the Welsh are 6/4 outsiders (Bet365 and BoyleSports).
Interestingly, despite having an uphill task, according to the bookmakers, Josh Adams is the best bet to touch down first. Following his hat-trick against Italy last weekend, the Cardiff Blues wing is 10/1 with Ladbrokes, Coral, Sportingbet and Betway to open the game’s try-scoring account.
Scotland v England
Scotland take on the Auld Enemy on Saturday looking to repeat their performance and result from 2018, which saw them claim an excellent victory at Murrayfield. Inspired by Finn Russell, Gregor Townsend’s men dominated the first half, scoring three tries as they went away with a 25-13 triumph.
Of course, there will be one key difference this weekend and that is they will be without the services of Russell, who is still omitted following an alleged late night drinking session. That means Adam Hastings once again starts after impressing against Ireland in the opening round of the Six Nations.
In many ways, Hastings is similar to the Racing 92 fly-half with his free spirit and creative instincts, but he is not quite at his counterpart’s level yet. A lot of pressure will be on the Glasgow man to get the backline moving after their try-less performance last weekend, but they should at least have a stable platform.
The front five went well throughout the contest in Dublin, but they couldn’t quite take advantage. Townsend’s charges will therefore hope their fortunes alter when they face an England team under pressure, but the Scots will still go in with the underdog tag.
According to Betway, Sport Nation and Betdaq, they are outsiders at 14/5, while the Red Rose, who succumbed 24-17 to France in their tournament opener, are favoured at 2/5 (Skybet).
Eddie Jones’ men need a significant improvement from that performance in Paris, however, and to his credit, the Australian has selected a more balanced pack. Although Tom Curry remains at number eight, Lewis Ludlam comes in to add some carrying prowess.
Out wide, they also have plenty of threats and wing Jonny May will cause significant problems for the hosts should he be given space, and he is 13/2 at Betfair and Sky Bet to touch down first.