England given a boost for first Six Nations in five years
Published:
Having endured a pretty rough time of it as hosts of the World Cup just a few months ago, England will be out to make amends in the Six Nations.
Stuart Lancaster has departed, Eddie Jones makes his bow as coach of the Red Rose, and Dylan Hartley has been announced as captain to a mixed reaction.
But with a host of English clubs doing fantastically well in Europe – five of the eight Champions Cup quarter-finalists are English – there’s plenty of reason to believe this is England’s year after losing out on the final day on points difference in each of the last two years.
And if you fancy Jones to get off to a super start as England coach, then you might want to think about Ladbrokes’ price boost, with the bookies enhancing England to win the Six Nations to 15/8 for a limited time only.*
Under new leadership, England will be quietly optimistic, especially with a reasonable fixture list which sees them avoid trips to Dublin and Cardiff.
The Red Rose open their 2016 campaign with trips to Scotland and Italy, and many will be expecting Jones and Hartley to enter Gameweek three’s meet with Ireland with full points.
Saturday evening’s clash at Murrayfield sees England seek a sixth-successive Calcutta Cup, and they haven’t lost to Scotland in the competition since 2008.
Indeed since Scotland’s Grand Slam success in 1990, England have won 21 of the subsequent 25 meetings with their northern rivals.
As such, the visitors are 4/9 favourites to begin the annual spring-fest with a win, while the Scots are priced as 15/8 outsiders.
Open with wins in Edinburgh and Rome, and there’s every chance England will be well on the way to Six Nations glory – and they won’t be a 7/4 shot by then.
*Max Bet £25. Available until midnight Friday 5 Feb only.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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