Guinness Six Nations Rugby Betting Picks and Predictions Week 3

Rugby Union

International Rugby

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international men’s rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions are France, who won the 2022 tournament.

Saturday:

Italy vs Ireland, 2.15pm GMT

Italy head coach Kieran Crowley admits that he does have a slight concern over his playmaker Paolo Garbisi ahead of his team’s Six Nations Round Three clash against Ireland in Rome on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Montpellier star sat out the opening losses to France and England with a knee injury but seems fit enough to be named by Crowley in the starting line-up unveiled on Thursday.

Garbisi will form a halfback combination with Stephen Varney with his replacement for the French and English matches Tommaso Allan moving to the bench.

The Irish by contrast arrive still as world No.1 and on the back of two convincing victories against the Welsh and French, scoring more than 30 points against both.

Ireland have lost just once to Italy in the Six Nations – 22-15 in 2013 in Rome.

Although Italy are winless this year so far they have come along way and actually look half decent, but Ireland will be too strong and should win with some ease.

Our Picks:

Ireland -21.o @10/11

Over 60 Points @1/1

Wales vs England, 4.45pm GMT

Saturday’s Six Nations showdown between Wales and England in Cardiff will go ahead after the WRU reached a late agreement with their players to avert the nuclear option of a player strike brought on due to pay issues.

The tumult and turmoil off the pitch in Welsh rugby has so far been mirrored on it in the Six Nations, though, with Warren Gatland’s side losing their opening two matches, whereas England picked up their first win of the Steve Borthwick era at the expense of Italy last time out.

Wales coach Warren Gatland, who made nine changes to the team that lost 7-35 to Scotland in their last outing, admitted that the dispute had been “a challenge, there is no doubt about that”.

Gatland admitted that Wales having been successful in his first tenure as head coach between 2007-19, when he oversaw four Six Nations titles including three Grand Slams and two Rugby World Cup semifinal appearances, in 2011 and 2019, had “probably papered over the cracks a little bit”.

England coach Steve Borthwick, who has seen his side lose 23-39 to Scotland before rebounding to a 31-14 victory over Italy, said he and all his players sympathised with the Wales players.

We think that the rebuild at Wales has begun and will be a long process that is too late to impact in the immediate future of there results, and see England carrying on where they left off last time out with victory here.

Our Picks:

England Win @5/12

Over 46 Points @1/1

Sunday:

France vs Scotland, 3pm GMT

France are superb at home and Scotland are in great form. This should be a cracking battle, but while we believe France will have enough for the win, we think that Scotland can get within the nine-point handicap.