Six Nations 2019: A look ahead to the remaining matches
This year’s Six Nations tournament has proved to be another year of shocks and surprises, with England beating Ireland against the odds in the opening round of matches; while Wales came from behind in the last round to beat England. With just two rounds of fixtures left to play, any number of teams can still top the table, but another two wins will see Wales Grand Slam winners. Here, we look ahead to the remaining fixtures and the history between the sides in all competitive fixtures, not just focusing on the Six Nations.
Round 4
Scotland v Wales
Scotland will be looking to bounce back from their mauling against France; while Wales will be hoping to make it one step closer to the Grand Slam and also a record 13th successive test win. Last time out, Wales ran away victorious in the opening round, with a bonus point win at The Principality Stadium – 34-7. Wales’ record against Scotland is favourable too, winning 15 of their 18 Six Nations matches to date, and in their 122 competitive meetings since 1883, have been victorious on 69 occasions. You don’t need to look back too far to find Wales’ biggest victory against Scotland, it came in the 2014 Six Nations when they ran out 51-3 winners, with Scotland reduced to 14-men. However, Scotland’s biggest win against Wales (35-10), was back when the championship was the Five Nations, as early as 1924.
England v Italy
Victory for England will see them close the gap at the top of the table and it should be a given against Italy, who’ve yet to record a single point this tournament. The Italians will be hoping they don’t receive the wooden spoon for a fourteenth time, while also making it four years in a row without a win in the Championship. Looking back at previous tests and it’s a whitewash for Italy, who haven’t beaten England in 24 attempts, since their first meeting at the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Last year in the Six Nations, the two countries met at the Stadio Olimpico, when England ran out defiant winners 46-15. However, the 1999 World Cup saw England’s biggest win against Italy, 67-7.
Ireland v France
Ireland and France both won their matches in the last round; however, at current, Ireland third in the table with two wins and nine points, while France are fourth, with one win and six points. In last year’s Six Nations meeting, an incredibly close-fought contest saw Ireland victorious 15-13. But it’s France who have more wins overall, with 51 from 89 matches – and their biggest victory came in the 2002 Six Nations (44-5). You have to look a lot further back for France’s biggest win, which was a 24-0 white-wash at the 1913 Five Nations competition. However, competitive ties between these two are usually quite evenly matched, so expect a tactical game.
Round 5
Italy v France
France’s 34-17 win against Italy in last year’s Six Nations saw them end their winless streak, while compounding misery on their opponents who had made it 15 games without a win, and eventually won the tournament’s wooden spoon. France have won 17 of the 19 competitive games between the sides, with Italy’s two wins coming in previous Six Nations matches (2011 and 2013, the former being a close 22-21 win). Matches aren’t usually that close, with France recording 76 tries, to Italy’s 24 – so unfortunately it looks as though Italy will retain their ‘title’.
Wales v Ireland
Last year’s thrilling encounter saw Ireland beat Wales 37-27 at the Aviva Stadium – and matches between the two sides and often toughly-contested. In their 119 competitive meetings, Wales have been victorious 62 times, while Ireland have been on top for 46. Ireland have certainly been more dominant in recent years, as statistics show that Wales’ biggest win of 29-0 was over 100 years ago when the competition was then, the Home Nations. Ireland’s biggest win was at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, at the 2002 Six Nations when they ran out 54–10 winners.
England v Scotland
Despite beating England in last year’s Six Nations, a win that was very much-deserved, Scotland hadn’t beaten their geographic rivals since 2008! A look back at the ties between the sides sees the Three Lions massively on top – with a record 10 successive wins and a total of 67 victories in 122 games. Historically, the games aren’t that close either and England recorded their record win as recently as 2017 (61-21 winners at Twickenham).
Think Italy will get the wooden spoon again? Or Wales will win the Grand Slam? Find the latest odds: https://www.paddypower.com/rugby-union/the-six-nations
