England -305 Favorites to Win Six Nations Ahead of Final Matchday
By Robert Duff in Rugby
Published:
- Rugby World Cup finalist England are overwhelming -305 favorites to win the Six Nations title
- England plays its final match Saturday, October 31, 2020, away to Italy
- Ireland can claim the crown if it wins away to France and records a bonus point by scoring four tries against the French
For a team currently second in the table, England is being given a first-rate chance of capturing the Six Nations rugby championship.
The English, along with Ireland and France, are all 3-1-0 through four matches. The Irish maintain a one-point lead over the French and English thanks to earning an extra bonus point for scoring four tries in a match.
England, the -305 favorites in the Six Nations odds, travel to Italy to face the winless Italians and are left with an excellent chance to grab the bonus point.
Meanwhile, Ireland must win at France, a much more difficult assignment. That would explain why the bookmakers don’t believe luck will be on the side of the Irish. Ireland are the +275 second betting choice.
2020 Six Nations Odds
| Country | Odds |
|---|---|
| England | -295 |
| Ireland | +275 |
| France | +1600 |
Odds taken Oct. 30 at DraftKings
France are given lengthy +1600 odds to win the title.
England Must Crush Italy
England can’t afford to show any mercy to the Italians in Rome. Ireland thrashed Italy 50-17 last weekend. England must equal that level of punishment and assure that the bonus point will be attained.
We'll be ready 🌹
Eddie looks ahead to this weekend's match against Italy in the final round of the #GuinnessSixNations ⤵️
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 29, 2020
For that reason, English head coach Eddie Jones is going with an attacking lineup against Italy in the hopes of piling up the points. Playmaking centers Henry Slade and Jonathan Joseph start outside of captain and fly-half Owen Farrell.
England vs Italy Odds
| Country | Moneyline | Spread |
|---|---|---|
| England | -10000 | -31.5 (-118) |
| Italy | +1900 | +31.5 (-108) |
England are 31.5-point favorites over the Italians. The English are seeking their third Six Nations title in five years.
Italy (0-4) are surrendering on average a tournament-high 36 points per game while scoring just 9.75 points per match.
Pick: England -31.5 points (-118)
Will Irish Eyes Be Smiling?
Two years ago, Johnny Sexton, who will captain the Irish side on Saturday in Paris, kicked a drop goal in injury time to beat France and earn Ireland the Six Nations title.
This time around, the pluck of the Irish may prove more the be their most vital trait. Not only do they need a win away to France, but they also need to score a minimum of four tries to assure themselves of the bonus point.
𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 🤩 💚
Anyone else remember what happened on our last trip to Paris? 🤔#ShoulderToShoulder #GuinnessSixNations #FRAvIRE pic.twitter.com/s39LmABRcf
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) October 29, 2020
If the Irish gain the maximum five points from Saturday’s match, the title is theirs to celebrate. However, history is not on Ireland’s side.
Ireland are 3-6-1 in the country’s last 10 Six Nations visits to France. In those 10 matches, Ireland has scored more than 20 points three times and over 30 points on one occasion. The only match in which the Irish accumulated four tries in that span was in 2006, during a 43-31 loss to the French.
Outside Chance For France
The French are 4.5-point favorites to beat the Irish at home. That’s something they’ve done just once in their last four matches with Ireland at Paris.
France can still win the Six Nations title but the French will need plenty of factors to fall their way.
In order to lift the trophy, France must beat Ireland and record a better result than England’s outcome against Italy from earlier in the day. That seems a very unlikely occurrence.
Super Saturday.
31.10.20
It's going to be an incredible Finale.#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/AT1Wy8R3CZ
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) October 26, 2020
The other possibility would be if France were able to score enough in a victory against Ireland to overtake England in points differential.
Neither option appears to be very plausible. The average score of the past five England-Italy Six Nation matches is 45.2-14 in favor of the English.
Pick: England (-295)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
