FEB 8-9: SIX NATIONS RUGBY PREVIEW

THE second round of Six Nations action kicks off this weekend and a win in Dublin for Wales will put them firmly in control of the tournament.

The Welsh and French are joint 2-1 favourites to win the Six Nations after first-round victories and despite being slight underdogs in Dublin it’s looking increasingly likely Wales will win a unprecedented third title. Ireland are 8-11 (all prices Paddy Power) to beat the Welsh with the visitors at 6-5.

Ireland have Paul O’Connell and Gordon D’Arcy back while Wales will be captained by the returning Sam Warburton. The handicap is at plus two for Wales and Ireland are 7-2 to win the game by 1-5 points.

Wales can be backed at 6-1 for a victory of between 6-10 points whilst Alex Cuthbert is 8-1 favourite for the first try. A yellow card in what is traditionally a fiery clash is a short 8-11 with a red at 18-1.

The later game on Saturday sees England travel to Scotland for the Calcutta Cup. Scotland are 9-2 underdogs after their comprehensive loss at the hands of the Irish last week. England’s defeat to the French sees them go into this game as 1-6 favourites.

Scotland’s captain Kelly Brown has been dropped and Lions player Richie Gray has pulled out of their 22 altogether while England remain unchanged.

The handicap is plus 10 for Scotland with a win for England by 13 points or more at 11-10. England’s Jonny May is 17-2 favourite for the first try followed by Mike Brown and Jack Nowell at 9-1. Stuart Lancaster’s side can be backed at 1-1 to score first, lead at half-time and go on and win the game.

The final match of the weekend sees Italy try and build on the positives from their defeat to Wales as they travel to France. France at 1-40 to beat the Azzurri with Parisse’s men at 16-1. A win for France by 16-20 points is the shortest winning margin price at 5-1 while the Italians sneaking a victory of between 1-5 points is 16-1. Yoann Huget is 5-1 favourite for the first try.

A Paddy Power spokesman said: “Ireland will be desperate to derail the Welsh challenge and repeat their victory from last year. England meanwhile will be hoping to keep hold of the Calcutta Cup in what will be a battle up at Murrayfield.”

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