With the 2022 Six Nations now past the halfway point, attention is beginning to turn to the Six Nations betting market to try and decipher which team will get their hands on the trophy. It’s been another stellar edition of the historic tournament, and it’s fair to say we’ve seen some cracking contests so far.
Here, we’ve put together a quick recap of what happened in three of the 2022 Six Nations’ most memorable matches.
Scotland 20-17 England
A Calcutta Cup clash on the opening weekend of the Six Nations was enough to have rugby fans rubbing their hands in anticipation. Historically, England has had the edge in matches against Scotland, but the Scots have enjoyed something of a revival in the fixture more recently.
Indeed, it was Gregor Townsend’s men who got their campaign off to the best possible start. Ben White’s try meant that Scotland had a 10-6 lead at half-time, but England wasn’t going to go down without a fight. A tremendous performance from Marcus Smith, deputizing for the injured Owen Farrell, saw the fly-half rack up 17 points in the match all on his own, including a try and four penalties.
England held a 17-10 lead with 15 minutes to go, but Luke Cowan-Dickie’s deliberate palming of the ball into touch whilst under pressure from Darcy Graham saw the referee award a penalty try. With the scores level, Finn Russell held his nerve in the dying moments to score a penalty, breaking English hearts and sparking scenes of celebration all around Murrayfield.
France 30-24 Ireland
With France and Ireland having both secured comfortable victories on the opening weekend of the Six Nations, the contest between the two teams in Paris was viewed as the match that could potentially decide the championship.
France produced some effervescent rugby from the outset, scoring through Antoine Dupont in just the second minute, but Ireland hit back soon after with a Mack Hansen try. Irish indiscipline was to cost them in the end, and a series of penalties meant France held a 12-point lead at the interval. Ireland came out all guns blazing in the second half, but another Melvyn Jaminet penalty made the difference 15 points. Nonetheless, Andy Farrell’s side stuck to their past, scoring tries through Josh Van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park to get within one point of their hosts. It wasn’t quite enough, though, as Cyril Baille’s try took the game beyond their reach to secure a crucial win for the French.
England 23-19 Wales
With England having recovered from their defeat to Scotland by beating Italy in Rome, they were expected to beat an injury-hit Wales side with ease. The first half certainly went according to plan, with Smith’s four penalties establishing a 12-0 lead at the break.
Alex Dombrandt’s try looked to have put the game beyond Wales’ reach, but the visitors hit back strongly despite the deficit, with Josh Adams and Nick Tompkins crossing the line. Smith’s penalties helped England keep their noses in front, but it was a nervy finish for Eddie Jones’ side as Kieran Hardy scored in the dying embers.