England Has Best Odds to Win Six Nations Championship, But Ireland and Wales Aren’t Far Behind

• England has been given the best odds to win the 2020 Six Nations Cup
• Ireland sits second, while reigning champion Wales rounds out the top three
• Who is the best bet to reclaim the title? Can Wales repeat?

For the first time since 2013, Wales took home the Six Nations Championship in Rugby Union this year.

They went undefeated through the five rounds of competition, outscoring opponents 114-65. It included their first win over England since 2015, and stretching their win streak to an all-time best 14.

Cane they keep it going as they look forward?

2020 Six Nations Championship Odds

*All odds taken 07/05/2019

For the un-initiated, let’s start with the super longshot, Italy.

So will Warren Gatland's first game in charge of his next team be at the Stade de France in the 2020 Six Nations opener? ? pic.twitter.com/ZwHt79THd0

— Paul Eddison (@pauleddison) March 20, 2019

The Italians went 0-5 in 2019, surrendering the most points (167). That led to the worst point differential (-88) of the six entrants. They have never won, finishing last in 14 out of the 19 times they’ve participated.

So what about the rest?

Rugby Royalty England a Rightful Favorite

England’s lone loss in the 2019 tournament came to Wales, and it was a rather heartbreaking affair.

It was also a tournament-decider. Despite this, England still has a deep and talented squad.

Captain Owen Farrell remains one of the top-ranked Fly Halves in the world, along with the supremely talented Mako Vunipola and Maro Itoje.

Farrell ended up leading the 2019 competition in scoring, followed by teammate Johnny May in fourth. May also led in tires (six).

European Player of the years and England section:

2013 – Jonny Wilkinson (no)
2014 – Steffon Armitage (no)
2015 – Nick Abendanon (no)
2016 – Owen Farrell (yes)
2017 – Maro Itoje (yes)
2019 – Alex Goode (no)

— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) July 4, 2019

It has been two years since the second of back-to-back England championships. But there’s no reason to think they don’t deserve top dog status.

And if continuity is your thing, both Warren Gatland (Wales) and Joe Schmidt (Ireland) stepped down following this year’s Six Nations. Eddie Jones remains in charge for England.

Ireland Offering Immediate Value

Jonny Sexton remains the face of Irish Rugby League, and right now his singular focus is the Rugby World Cup this fall.

"I don't think we have peaked."

Fly-half Johnny Sexton says Ireland will go to Japan with a mixture of confidence and fear and have unfinished business at this year's Rugby World Cup. pic.twitter.com/mxqQEb7A9m

— Rugby Kingdom (@RugbyKlngdom) June 8, 2019

Still missing that trophy from his mantle, even if he were to ride off into the sunset, Ireland’s squad has plenty of star power. Names like Tadhg Furlong, Peter O’Mahony, and James Ryan may make this the most talented team heading into next year.

Their 3-0-2 finish was a disappointment for a team looking to repeat. And if they had pulled it off? It would have been their fourth title in six years.

They hit a rut offensively however, being held to just 101 points a year after lapping the competition by dropping 160.

Can Wales Go Back-to-Back?

The English and Irish pose a monumental challenge to any of the other four teams, but Wales looked them straight in the eye this year. If they can generate a little positive momentum in Japan, we could see them force a shuffle atop the odds table. Especially if they’re as stout as they were defensively at the 2019 Six Nations Championship.

The English and Irish pose a monumental challenge to any of the other four teams, but Wales looked them straight in the eye this year.

Considering that their win stopped a five-year run of dominance by England and Ireland though, it will still be fairly tough.

It’s very possible that these three teams simply shuffle the order among the books until the 2020 tournament starts. So with the possibility that the Irish could find themselves as favorites, we’ll jump on them at +200 for the time being.

Pick: Ireland (+200)