Six Nations Final Round
After an entertaining five weeks of rugby, spread bettors are only a game away from the conclusion of the 2011 Six Nations. Those that bought England's outright index at the beginning of February (60pts to the winner, 40pts for second, 20pts for third, 10pts for fourth and 5pts for fifth) will be delighted that the side are leading the way with a game to go. England's spread supporters may be aware that barring a loss and a 42 point Wales victory in Paris, Martin Johnson's side will be crowned champions.
To achieve the Grand Slam for the first time in eight years, England must beat Ireland at the Aviva Stadium and buyers of the Red Rose's win index will be a little concerned after the performance against Scotland. Those spread bettors looking to sell England's win index against the Irish will have taken encouragement that the visitors only crossed the line once last time out.
Ireland and England have met on 62 occasions over the years and England's spread followers will be pleased to find the side edge the contests 30 to 28, with 4 draws. All of England's past three games in Ireland have finished in the host's favour. England's spread supporters must delve back to 2003 for the last victory on Irish soil – a 42-6 triumph.
Spread bettors looking to sell England's match supremacy will be interested to find that the average winning margin in the past three games in Ireland is 12.3 points. Those buying England's supremacy will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2007 defeat which finished 43-13.
Wales travel to Paris with the feint hope of winning the Six Nations after a controversial 19-13 victory in Cardiff. Those spread enthusiasts looking ahead to the game should note that the Welsh have been beaten on their two most recent trips to the Stade de France.
France last lost to Wales at home in 2005 and the hosts were comfortably beaten 33-5 that day. The average points total for the last five matches between these sides in France is 49.6, the largest total coming in 2001 in a 43-35 thriller edged by Wales.
The average winning margin in that five game period is 11.6 points. In this year's competition the French have scored 89 points and have conceded 82, compared to Wales' 86 points and 61.
Should Italy beat Scotland they will finish off the bottom of the table for the first time since 2007. To the delight of anyone that bought Italy's win index against the French they pulled off the shock of the tournament with a 22-21 scoreline.
Scotland have beaten Italy in seven of their eight meetings in Scotland, which will please buyers of their spreads. Sellers of the total tries market will be happy to hear that Italy failed to score a try on their most recent game at Murrayfield.
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