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2025 Six Nations: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Racing Post's Graham Woods previews the Six Nations ahead of the annual tournament getting under way and has come up with three antepost selections.

Ireland are chasing an unprecedented hat-trick of Six Nations titles and have the benefit of home matches against market rivals England and France.

But the French have overtaken them as tournament favourites and there’s a lot to like about Les Bleus' chances this year.

Six Nations

Six Nations ante-post tips

France to win the Six Nations @ 13/8
Scotland to win under 2.5 games @
11/10
Ireland v England to be lowest scoring game @
15/2

France were favourites for the Six Nations last year but were blown away in the first round, losing 38-17 at home to Ireland, who went on to complete a Grand Slam.

Les Bleus are favourites again but they’ll have to do it the hard way with away matches against Ireland and England.

Ireland have a new man at the helm as Andy Farrell, who led the Men in Green to back-to-back titles, prepares to take charge of the British & Irish Lions in the summer, so defence coach Simon Easterby has stepped up on an interim basis.

England had a disappointing 2024, winning just two of their seven matches over the summer and autumn, both against Japan, while Scotland have yet to show the consistency to challenge for the title.

France to win the Six Nations - 13/8

Many eyes will be on the huge clash in Dublin on Saturday as Ireland take on England, but the Six Nations starts with a Friday night showdown in Paris, and France have the perfect opportunity to make a strong start against Wales.

Last year France kicked off the tournament with question marks hanging over the team. Missing from their line-up were their two most influential players - fly-half Romain Ntamack, who was injured, and scrum-half Antoine Dupont, who was preparing for the Paris Olympics with the France Sevens squad.

Both men are back for the opening clash with Wales and it’s hard to overstate the impact those two players have on France’s chances. Last year the French looked disjointed and uncertain but there is more unity to the side this time round.

Six of the seven backs starting Friday’s opener against Wales play for Toulouse or Bordeaux - those two sides recorded four wins from four in the European Champions Cup pool stage, scoring a remarkable 33 tries each - while four of their starting forwards also play for Toulouse and another three for La Rochelle, who boast one of the most fearsome packs in the game.

Playing in Paris again will help their cause and opening up against Wales, who have a young squad and lost all 11 matches last year, can help them ease into the tournament before a trip to Twickenham.

Ireland away in round four should be the pivotal clash but France’s fixtures look set up for them to get into gear quickly and they could be hard to stop.

Scotland to win under 2.5 games - 11/10

10 ago Scotland picked up the Wooden Spoon, losing all five matches, but their development since then thanks to the emergence of some truly world-class players has been eye-catching.

They have won three matches in five of the nine Six Nations campaigns since then but last year they won only two, demonstrating their frustrating inconsistency as they beat England, lost narrowly to France and Ireland but then slipped up against Italy.

It’s odds-on that they bag at least three wins this time, but while they are 19-point favourites against Italy on Saturday and should beat Wales at home, the other three games, including trips to Twickenham and Paris, could prove too much and they have been hit by the loss of captain Sione Tuipulotu.

Ireland v England to be lowest-scoring game - 15/2

Backing a game in the first round to be the highest or lowest scoring of the whole tournament can be a nerve-shredding experience, but there’s enough in the price about Saturday’s Dublin duel to make it worth the wait.

The emphasis in round one is always about not losing and Ireland have had by far the best defence in the last two tournaments, shipping seven tries in 2024 and just six the year before.

England coach Steve Borthwick looks to have put the focus on physicality in his line-up and this has the makings of a low-scoring grind.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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