The Six Nations 2021: What Bettors Should Know about the Competition

There aren’t many bigger competitions in rugby than the Six Nations. With the six best teams in the Northern hemisphere battling for the crown, the tournament always provides a lot of twists and turns. After beating France in 2020, England are the reigning champions and are set to defend their title in a grudge match against Scotland early in the year.

However, Eddie Jones’ team is by no means the guaranteed winner, not with the likes of France, Wales, and Ireland boasting incredible talent. Who will win? What will happen? Nobody knows until the last kick in March, but here is a selection of things to keep in mind pre-tournament.

England Are on Form

One of the main reasons England are the favourites for the title is down to their red-hot form in the past couple of months. Aside from beating France to the Six Nations trophy in 2020, they also bested Les Blues at the end of the year during the Autumn Nations Cup final.

Of course, this is of no surprise since England have been a very consistent side under Jones’ guidance. Making it to the final of the 2019 World Cup, beating New Zealand along the way, was beyond most peoples’ dreams.

Don’t Dismiss France

On the surface, England has the edge over France as they finished above them in the last edition of the Six Nations and were victorious in the Autumn Nations Cup. The statistics don’t paint a full picture, though. For one thing, France was the last side to beat England after they eased to victory at the Stade de France, winning by a margin of 24-17.

Also, the Autumn Nations Cup wasn’t straightforward for England as Jones’ men required a “golden” penalty from Owen Farrell in extra time. Indeed, some pundits believed that if you were to pick the winner of the 2023 World Cup from the match, you would go with France. As they were much-changed in that game, it would be very easy for an aggressive French unit to come out of the blocks and rewrite the wrongs of 2020.

Alun Wyn Jones Could Bow Out

There hasn’t been any confirmation as of yet, but the fact that Alun Wyn Jones is 35 and struggling with injuries suggests this could be his final Six Nations and his last big-game tournament. Thankfully, there are reports that he’s recovering well from a knee injury he picked up against Italy last December, so he should make the tournament opener.

It would be a great shame if Wyn Jones didn’t get to play again because he’s been a stalwart of international rugby, picking up a world-record 152 Test match appearances in his career. That wouldn’t be a bad way to end any career, but a Welsh victory would certainly be the icing on the cake.

As always, the Six Nations will throw up some surprises. However, one thing that stays the same is the quality and excitement of the rugby on offer.