Rugby’s greatest championship.

If you follow rugby, you have learned by now that you should make predictions that are based on data, rather than assumptions. Assumptions, which are more of a guess, can make a fool out of anybody, especially when it’s regarding elite sport.

Fortunately, there are some people and groups whose job it is to predict what could happen.

Bookmakers have been doing it for decades, and they are very good at understanding the potential outcomes. When you take their odds for the upcoming Six Nations into account, you can’t guarantee anything, but you do know that they can provide insight into an otherwise murky competition.

It seems as if it will be a tournament to remember, and here’s why.

No Grand Slam

Normally, you would say that a Grand Slam is the sign of an iconic Six Nations competition. However, if you think about it, it vows one thing – that a single team will win all their matches. In the scheme of things, it’s a little boring, particularly since England are the firm favourites for the title due to their superior form and squad. Thankfully, the Six Nations odds for no Grand Slam are at 5/6, which means the bookies assume there will be plenty of twists and turns. Whichever team wins it, all you can hope for as a supporter is that there will be excellent attacking and defensive rugby, and plenty of surprise developments.

A Tight Opening Weekend

The opening weekend of the Six Nations should be the best part of the tournament because you have been waiting for a year to see your side face off against the top five Northern hemisphere teams. Of course, there are apparent outcomes even then, such as Italy probably getting beaten by all the other nations and finishing bottom. If they don’t, Scotland usually switches places with them. But this year is different, at least for now, as every side is valued at 10/11, including the typically weaker nations. Of course, this may not change. On the flip side, everything could alter, and the likes of Italy could show why calls for them to be axed from the competition are premature.

Six Weeks of Attacking Rugby

One thing the bookmakers are almost certain of is a lot of tries. Between the six teams, almost all of them have contenders to finish the competition with a bucket load of points under their belt. This includes everyone from last year’s main marksman, France’s Charles Ollivon, to England’s Jonny May, Ireland’s Jacob Stockdale, and Wales’s Josh Adams. Teddy Thomas is also expected to have a big tournament, even with France in disarray, which highlights how confident the bookies are that the sides’ biggest game-changers will come up with the goods.

Bottom Line

The above indicates there will be a lot of aggressive rugby twinned with the inevitable twitchy, nervous moments that crop-up when teams get closer to the finishing line. For fans, there is nothing better to look forward to.