England Opens as +120 Favorite to Defend Six Nations Title in 2021; France (+240) Given Better Odds than Ireland (+380)
By Robert Duff in Rugby
Published:
- Reigning champions England are given favored status to win the 2021 Six Nations rugby title at odds of +120
- France, which lost the 2020 title to the English in a tiebreaker, are the +240 second betting choice
- Initial matches in the Six Nations are slated for Feb. 6th
England are reigning Six Nations rugby champions and are being favored to repeat that title-winning performance in 2021. The English are slotted in as the +120 favorites to capture back-to-back championships, just as they did in 2016-17.
France, the only side to defeat England in the 2020 Six Nations, are the second betting choice at +240. Ireland, which scuttled a chance at the title by losing to the French in Paris during the final weekend of competition, are listed at +380 in the Six Nations odds.
Wales (+1100), Scotland (+1400) and Italy (+20000) are the longshots on the board.
2021 Six Nations Odds
| Country | Odds |
|---|---|
| England | +120 |
| France | +240 |
| Ireland | +380 |
| Wales | +1100 |
| Scotland | +1400 |
| France | +20000 |
Odds taken Dec. 1 at FanDuel
The 2021 Six Nations tournament gets underway on Feb. 6th.
English Beat
England have rattled off seven successive victories. The last defeat suffered by the English was a 24-17 setback to France in the opening match of the 2020 Six Nations tournament.
What a week for @j0nny_may!
Jonny has won Try Of The Round with 72.1% of the votes!What a try! 🤩 #AutumnNationsCup #Rugby pic.twitter.com/ZMxfQrLHzu
— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 25, 2020
England rolled to the Pool A title in the Autumn Cup with solid wins over Wales (24-13), Ireland (18-7) and Georgia (40-0). Jonny May scored a pair of tries in the triumph over the Irish, giving him 31 tries for England in test rugby.
Sterling defense is proving to be a trademark of the English side. In six of their seven wins, they’ve allowed 13 points or less.
France-England Showdown
The top-ranked sides for the Six Nations will offer rugby fans a bit of a preview of coming attractions this weekend. England will play host to France in the final of the Autumn Cup on Sunday at Twickenham.
France gutted out a 22-15 away win over Scotland in Round 2 of the tourney. The French followed that up by smacking Italy 36-5 at the Stade de France, clinching their date with England.
Congratulations on the win @FranceRugby 👏
See you at Twickenham 🏴🇫🇷#LeCrunch pic.twitter.com/R9hF3fqZBj
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 28, 2020
The young French side performed impressively in the 2020 Six Nations. With a bit more experience under their belts, they could prove a real value play for this year’s tournament.
France haven’t won the Six Nations since 2010.
Inconsistent Irish A Mystery Team
Ireland certainly hold all the necessary pieces to win the Six Nations. Where the Irish seem to struggle is puzzling those pieces together into consistent form.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀! 🤩
Jacob Stockdale x Hugo Keenan 🔥#ShoulderToShoulder #IrishRugby #GuinnessSeries #AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/L8682vDbDG
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) December 1, 2020
They drubbed Wales 32-9 in the Autumn Cup but have lost two in a row to England. Last year, with the Six Nations title there for the taking, Ireland took a pratfall and were humbled 35-27 in France.
Scotland Being Overlooked
Scotland turned in its best Six Nations performance in years in last year’s tourney. The Scots won three consecutive Six Nations matches for the first time since 1996. They haven’t worn the tournament crown since 1999.
Preparing for the final weekend of the #AutumnNationsCup 💪 pic.twitter.com/85Gz6n8u9Y
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 28, 2020
While it’s unlikely that Scotland will be winners of the 2021 event, offering the Scots at longer odds than a clearly out-of-form Welsh side is an oversight.
Wales Off The Rails
Wales have gone into free-fall since an impressive semi-final performance at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. New coach Wayne Pivac vowed to bring a more attacking style to Welsh rugby but so far it’s not working.
#WALvITA weekend is coming in the #AutumnNationsCup 🏴🇮🇹
The last time we met the 𝐴𝑧𝑧𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖 was in the opening round of this year's @SixNationsRugby back in February.
Here's what happened… pic.twitter.com/QrbsrYmC51
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) December 1, 2020
Wales finished fifth at the 2020 Six Nations. That was the worst performance by a Welsh side since 2007.
A 43-14 victory over Georgia in the second round of the Autumn Cup ended a six-match losing skid for the Welsh. However, that was immediately followed by the 24-13 loss to England.
Italians Aren’t Stallions
The Italians are the free spot on the tournament bingo card.
Italy are ready for today’s game against France 💪
Who are you backing? 👀#AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/K0H6iTNsvP
— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 28, 2020
Italy have lost 27 consecutive Six Nations matches.
Pick: France (+240).
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.
