Sports Blog 01/02/2016: Tournament Preview – Six Nations 2016 Opening Weekend, Saturday 6th to Sunday 7th February 2016

With Europe suffering a rather ignoble World Cup last year, all 6 members of the continent’s premier international competition will be chomping at the bit to prove their mettle when the Six Nations kicks off this weekend.

Spreadex have a smorgasbord of fixed odds and spread betting opportunities for you pleasure, including our headline Six Nations Outright Index spreads, where the winner receives 60 points, the runner up 40, 3rd place 30, 4th place 10, 5th place 5 and 6th place a big fat zero.



The tournament starts in Paris, where Italy will be aiming to beat France for the first time since 2013 at 2.25pm on BBC One. A 29-0 demolition in Rome was what Italy were treated to in last year’s tournament, followed by a marginally better 32-10 defeat at Twickenham during the Pool stages of the World Cup. Beyond the perpetually brilliant Sergio Parisse it looks like the Azzurri will have, as usual, little to offer, and head into the tournament at both the worst fixed odds (at 500/1) and Outright Index spread (at 0.1-1).

Not that anyone is expecting too much of France this time around. A 4th place finished in last year’s Six Nations, a 2nd place finish in the World Cup’s Pool D, and a rough 62-13 exit at the hands of rampant victors New Zealand meant 2015 was a year to forget for Les Bleus. New coach Guy Noves (replacing Philippe Saint-Andre) faces an uphill battle this time around, with France heading into the weekend at a mild Outright Index spread of 21-24 (and at 5/1 fixed odds). However, there aren’t many easier first games than playing Italy at the Stade de France, and the home team are easily the preferred side, with Spreadex offering a France/Italy Supremacy spread of 17-20.

Turning to Saturday evening and England will find themselves in Edinburgh, with Scotland hoping the force of Murrayfield can lead them to an unlikely win at 4.50pm on BBC One. No-one suffered a more embarrassing exit last October than England; the home nation, the Red & White army – the World Cup was meant to be theirs. Instead they crashed out of (the admittedly tough) Pool A, with coach Stuart Lancaster stepping down in the aftermath. Lancaster’s tenure saw an almost equally frustrating run in the Six Nations, England finishing runners-up for 4 years in a row (the last 3 years on points difference alone). New coach Eddie Jones will be hoping to go one better in his first major test, with England going in as Spreadex favourites at an Outright Index of 34-37 alongside fixed odds of 7/4.

Not many people before the World Cup would have put money on Scotland going further than their southern cousins. Yet the Scots escaped a Pool that contained South Africa, tournament darlings Japan and a solid Samoa to set up a quarter final against Australia, where they heartbreakingly lost 35-34 after an 80th minute penalty from Bernard Foley. All that only around 8 months after finishing in last at the 2015 Six Nations. This year Vern Cotter will be looking to build on that World Cup performance, with Scotland at an Outright Index spread of 12-15 alongside fixed odds of 16/1. Yet facing the Red and Whites is an unenviable opener, with Spreadex offering an England/Scotland (h) Supremacy spread of 4-7.

Finally Sunday sees easily the hardest to call game of the weekend, as Ireland and Wales square off at 3pm on ITV. After winning the Six Nations for a 2nd year in a row, Joe Schidmt would have been hoping for at least a semi-final finish in the World Cup; and after besting France to top Pool D and drawing Argentina in the quarter-finals it looked almost certain that that would be the case. Yet the Pumas helped complete the unchallenged southern hemisphere domination in the knockout stages, shocking Ireland to win by a fairly astonishing 23 point margin. Heading into the 2016 tournament there are fears that the side may have lost their edge, especially with their clubs sides failing to reach the Champions Cup, and that is reflected in their middling (by their standards) Outright Index spread of 29-32, with fixed odds of 11/4.

Like the rest of their Six Nations peers, Wales’ World Cup didn’t go exactly to plan. The Welsh were dark horses for the international competition, and a momentous win over the English at Twickenham saw them finish in 2nd in Pool A behind Australia, setting up a quarter-final against South Africa. Yet Wales narrowly lost to the Springboks, completing a quartet of ineffectual European sides that are now having to lick their wounds in the Six Nations, where Wales are at an Outright Index of 31-34 with fixed odds of 11/4. Many fancy the winner of Sunday’s game to go onto lift the Championship Trophy; Spreadex have Schmidt’s side at an early advantage, offering an Ireland/Wales Supremacy spread of 3-6.

Recent Posts: