3-1 Wales are best of the six

SPORTS BETTING: RUGBY Union’s Six Nations championship gets under way on Friday night with a crackerjack contest at Cardiff between Wales and England.

Show an England RU shirt to a Welshman and it’s like a red rag to a bull - rather like Scotland v England at football.

The difference in the latter scenario is that our footballers are much better than the Scots. Not so at rugby union. There is precious little between the teams, who will both be looking for successful Six Nations campaigns to give themselves confidence for autumn’s World Cup.

Home advantage on Friday could well be crucial - and the bookies see it that way, too. Wales are a best-priced 8-13 to win, England 7-4.

Given those odds and the fact that Wales’ two games against their apparent main rivals – reigning champions Ireland being the other – are at home, I am surprised to see the Welsh as 3-1 third favourites to win the championship.

I want to see England come out on top of course, which would not only be good for our nation, but for one of Oldham’s favourite sons, George Ford.

Having nailed down the No. 10 shirt, Ford will be hoping to pull the strings during the Six Nations and World Cup campaigns.

He is young, ambitious, confident and possesses a large bag of tricks. But Ford and the rest of the English boys are going to have their work cut out in fixtures in Wales and Ireland. This is not the time to be backing England at 2-1 for the championship.

So, with the French (6-1) not boasting one of their better sides, it looks like the Welsh (3-1) and Irish (2-1) will fight it out for the title.

And given that Wales have home advantage against Ireland and their most difficult away fixture is in Paris, I think they are the more likely winners. It might also pay to have a small wager on them to win the grand slam...



AUSTRALIA’S cricketers have been cut to 2-1 to win the World Cup on home soil following their easy Tri-Series dismissal of England and India.

But the hosts may have to start the tournament without key all-rounder James Faulkner, who has an abdominal strain picked up in Sunday’s final against England.

South Africa, led by the record-busting AB De Villiers, are 7-2 second favourites, followed by co-hosts New Zealand, a real in-form outfit, on 6-1. Preview next week.


Recommendation: Wales to win 6 Nations championship, 3-1 (general) and to achieve grand slam, 8-1 (Coral).


KEITH McHUGH selected Australia to win the Tri Series at 6-5 and England to beat India at
11-10 in the final qualifying fixture in Perth.