It’s time for week two of the 2025 Six Nations Championship – and three matches that will go a long way towards defining the destiny of both the title and the wooden spoon.
The opening weekend went pretty much as everyone expected: France outclassed Wales, Scotland withstood a battling Italy, and England again flattered to deceive against Ireland.
The French now head to London where they will be hoping to add to English pain while adding further momentum to their championship charge. Meanwhile, the Irish journey to Edinburgh which means at least one of the remaining three unbeaten teams will have lost its 100% record before week three is upon us.
In contrast to that title-chasing, the Welsh travel to Rome for a match that will likely determine which side finishes bottom of the championship table and wins the infamous wooden spoon booby prize.
Let’s see how the bookies rate the teams, to win both the tournament and also in this second round of matches.
Six Nations Championship odds
Here are the updated tournament odds from BetMGM:
- France – 6/5
- Ireland – 11/8
- England – 9/1
- Scotland – 10/1
- Italy – 500/1
- Wales – 500/1
Before the first set of matches the bookies were struggling to split France and Ireland, but those opening games have seen the French edge clear. There will be some who consider that an over-reaction.
France walloped Wales but they only did what they should. Ireland were arguably a touch more impressive in emerging triumphant over England. Scotland might also be a little offended that England remain a shorter price than them. Italy and Wales are already deemed also rans in the title race.
Italy v Wales
Conventional wisdom has it that the Welsh were dire when losing 43-0 in Paris but there’s a funny dynamic going on: no-one expected them to win, they didn’t, and it got reported as increasing evidence of their problems.
While it quite obviously is an awful situation, the good news for coach Warren Gatland is that Welsh heads never went down. It’s not much, but it’s something to build on. Italy made a sluggish start in Edinburgh before drawing level early in the second half. They couldn’t complete the fight back, losing 31-19, but it was a reminder that they are more competitive these days.
Italy v Wales odds
Here are the latest match odds for Italy v Wales from Betfred.
- Italy: 2/5
- Draw: 20/1
- Wales: 21/10
Betting tip: Wales to win
This is pure backs against the walls time for this Welsh squad and the coach Gatland. If a record run of defeats is extended in Rome the depression that hangs over the valleys will be intense.
But they have one factor in their favour and that is that the quality of the Italian 2024 campaign has added a different pressure for them: they need to maintain that pace and defeat this week would be seen as a backward step. Wales are deservedly not favourites but the prices should be closer. Back the Welsh guided by Toby Faletau’s returning veteran wiles.
Bet on Wales to win at 19/10 with BetMGM
England v France
Le Crunch is always hotly anticipated but this one could be a classic. France had a solid enough warm up on home soil in the opening game. At times they were ruthless in scoring seven tries to none, but they were also occasionally sloppy.
They will need to up their game at Twickenham but they are more than capable of doing so and scrum half Antoine Dupont reminded us that he opens defences like a scalpel. England were strong in the first half but then ultimately flattered by a 27-22 scoreline in Dublin. It was also a reminder of their bizarre run of tight matches – it’s now 15 of their last 17 matches that have had no more than 10 points in the scoreline.
England v France odds
Here are the latest match odds for England v France from Betfred.
- England: 19/10
- Draw: 18/1
- France: 4/9
Betting tip: Damian Penaud any time tryscorer
The French are deserved favourites and England have taken an attacking approach to the situation, bring in Finn Smith at fly half and pushing Marcus Smith to full back. While that offers options going forward it might be worth recalling the extent to which the French scrum half Antoine Dupont used his kicking game to find the wingers in week one.
If the returning Damian Penaud, who needs only two tries to tie the great Serge Blanco as France’s all-time top tryscorer, gets one-on-one with Smith it could be a repeat of Mike Catt versus Jonah Lomu whether on the ground or in the air.
Bet on Damian Penaud any time tryscorer at 6/5 with Betfair
Scotland v Ireland
Two questions hung over Ireland ahead of the first weekend, and the management and squad answered one. That surrounded stand-in coach Simon Easterby who ultimately plotted a strong performance. On the other hand, the Sam Prendergast looked occasionally excellent and sometimes clumsy at number ten.
Nonetheless, the men in green will be encouraged as they head to Murrayfield where Scotland will be looking to sabotage their title quest. They have the firepower, both in the pack and through the backs, but they will need to be more ruthless than they were in letting the Italians back in the game on the opening weekend.
Scotland v Ireland odds
Here are the latest match odds for Scotland v Ireland from Betfred.
- Scotland: 2/1
- Draw: 20/1
- Ireland: 2/5
Betting Tip: Scotland/Ireland HT/FT result
Go bold with this one. Scotland will be hyped for this battle and there is absolutely no doubt that they have firepower especially behind the scrum. Finn Russell at his best is world class, Huw Jones scored a hat trick last week and the wingers Darcy Graham and Duhan Van Der Merwe are ruthless with opportunities.
They can get off to a flier and a half time lead is very conceivable. But Irish experience and Scotland’s long standing frailty could see the result flip flop by the final whistle.
Bet on Scotland/Ireland HT/FT result at 6/1 with bet365
How to watch the Six Nations Championship Week 2
Italy v Wales:
- Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
- Date and Time: Saturday 8th February, 14:15
- How to watch: ITV, S4C, Virgin Media
England v France:
- Location: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
- Date and Time: Saturday 8th February, 16:45
- How to watch: ITV, Virgin Media
Scotland v Ireland:
- Location: Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
- Date and Time: Sunday 9th February, 15:00
- How to watch: BBC, RTÉ
About the author
Matt Cooper
Matt Cooper has been a golf journalist for 15 years. He’s worked for, among others, Golf365, SkySports, ESPN, NBC, Sporting Life, Open.com and the Guardian. He specialises in feature writing, reporting and tournament analysis. He’s covered numerous Opens, Ryder Cups and Solheim Cups, and travelled to golfing destinations as varied as Kazakhstan, South Korea, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
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