How To Bet on Six Nations 2024: Punting pointers for the tournament

The Six Nations is arguably international rugby's most famous annual tournament and always offers plenty of betting opportunities. For those new to the sport, we have developed a short guide for how to bet on the key markets and the best ways to approach them.

How to bet on the match betting markets

The match betting, or full-time result market, is the basic odds available on which team will win that specific fixture and is the most straightforward option to understand.

Like most sports, there are three prices available for Six Nations matches: one for the home team, one for the away team and one in the case of a tie.

The varying quality of the teams in the Six Nations means there are often significant differences between these prices.

An example of this heading into the second week of the 2024 Six Nations is the match between Scotland and France.

Despite winning their opening match against Wales, Scotland are the 13/8 underdogs behind 8/15 France, while the tie is 20/1, with bet365. 

Les Bleus may have been outclassed by their opening opponents of this year’s tournament, Ireland, but they have won three out of the last four meetings with Scotland, so they are adjudged to be the favourites. 

Some punters may feel that Scotland's opening win and France's defeat could mean the Scots' odds are too big, particularly as they have home advantage, and they are 'overpriced'. This is an example of a price that carries 'value'.

A tie between Scotland and France, which has not occurred between the two teams in a Five or Six Nations fixture since 1966, is the biggest price due to the unlikelihood of that outcome.

How to bet on the handicap markets

The difference in player numbers and resources across the Six Nations invariably results in a gulf in class between the competing sides.

Therefore, the match betting markets often feature big prices and to provide further interest, oddsmakers will set a points handicap, with both teams priced at similar or the same odds.

To use another example from the second week of the 2024 Six Nations, the game between Ireland and Italy, the Irish are 10/11 carrying a -34.5 handicap with bet365, requiring them to win by 35 or more points for that to be a winning bet. 

Similarly, Italy are +34.5, essentially given a 34.5-point headstart, so a defeat by less than that tally would result in a winning bet for those who back the Azzurri.

Oddsmakers often offer a basic handicap and then various 'alternative' handicaps with different deficits between the sides priced up at what are judged to be appropriate odds based on recent form and previous meetings.

An alternative to looking at the Handicap markets, and often priced up in relation to them, are the Winning Margin options, which provide punters with the chance to back a team to win by an advantage of between two numbers. 

These are often either between 1-12 and points and 12+ or set out in fives (eg. to win by 1-5 points, 6-10 points etc.).

How to bet on tryscorer markets

Another popular option for punters following the Six Nations are the tryscorer markets.

Like goalscorer markets in football, these allow bettors to back an individual to score a try. As well as them to score a try at any time in the game, companies also usually offer the chance to place bets on individuals to score the first try of the fixture and the last try, especially pertinent in rugby due to the number of substitutions (eight) available for each team during the match. 

Therefore, a player who is on the bench may not make much appeal in the first tryscorer market but could be worth backing in the last tryscorer odds as their attributes may be more suitable to scoring later in the game.

Players who are in good form are usually available at shorter prices, but that only reflects their prowess and the likelihood of them scoring in the match.

However, there can be 'value' in the markets and like in football, rugby union players have a habit of scoring against teams they have a connection with. 

For instance, Wales' Nick Tompkins might be a player to watch when they face England. 

The centre plays his club rugby with Saracens but despite representing England at youth level, was overlooked for senior honours so instead chose to play for Wales, who he was eligible to play for through his grandmother.

Tomkins scored in Wales' last Six Nations trip to Twickenham in 2022 and his personal history means he may have extra motivation to score again when the pair meet on Saturday.