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Four rounds into the 2023 Six Nations, and Ireland have tightened their grip on this year’s trophy to be almost vice-like.
Across the past month, the current World No.1 team and bookies’ favourite heading into the tournament have put on rugby clinics. In Round One, they swept aside Wales 34-10, France 32-19 in Round Two, Italy 34-20 in Round Three, and last weekend, Scotland 22-7. Now, with just one round to go and an undefeated record currently, can Ireland close this campaign out and claim another Six Nations title?
We preview the Ireland Six Nations squad and odds, with all the information you need to bet on the Six Nations 2023.
Ireland Odds Six Nations
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Heading into the tournament, Ireland were neck and neck with France in the outright betting odds. Now, the Ireland odds Six Nations have improved significantly to favour the men in green, courtesy of their unbeaten record so far.
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
Pre-tournament, Ireland were sitting on odds of 5/4 (2.25) to win the Six Nations. These have shifted now to 1/10 (1.03) now after the first four rounds of play.
Ireland Six Nations Chances of Winning
Ireland are in the box seat to win the Six Nations this year. Of all the teams so far, they have looked the strongest, stringing together four wins from four to date. However, they aren’t home just yet—there’s a good chance they’ll need to win their final match against England as well in order to claim the title, depending on how France perform against Wales.
Latest Ireland Six Nations Game
Round Four saw Ireland play out a tight encounter in Edinburgh against Scotland. It was anyone’s game for the first hour, with Scotland scoring first and Ireland hitting back to be ahead 8-7 at halftime. The arm wrestle was broken as the fourth quarter loomed, however, with two quick tries to Ireland giving them some breathing room. The match ended 22-7 with a scoreless last 15 minutes.
Remaining Ireland Six Nations Games
Ireland have one game remaining in the Six Nations, with this final fixture at home. Here’s how the rest of the Ireland Six Nations campaign will unfold:
- England – Home (18th of March)
The importance of Ireland’s last game depends entirely on how France vs Wales unfolds. Ireland could step onto the field needing a win, or simply needing to avoid a large defeat in order to claim the Six Nations title.
Next Ireland Six Nations Game
Chances are, Ireland will need a win against England in Dublin on Saturday night. Do so, and they’ll claim the Six Nations as well as a Grand Slam in front of a home crowd for the first time in the tournament’s history. Given how poorly England have been playing this year, and how ruthless Ireland have been, we say Dublin will be getting drunk dry this weekend.
Ireland Six Nations History
Ireland have a strong Six Nations history, having won the tournament in its current format four times. Prior to this, Ireland were part of the Home Nations and Five Nations competitions since their inceptions in 1883 and 1910. They won these editions 10 times outright and a further eight times as a shared title.
Here’s how the past five Ireland Six Nations campaigns have unfolded:
- 2018—Champions
- 2019—Third place
- 2020—Third place
- 2021—Third place
- 2022—Runners up
Since winning the Six Nations in 2018, Ireland have been unable to add a fifth title to their trophy cabinet. Last season was their best campaign in four years, finishing runners up to a dominant French side after being defeated 30-24 in Round Two by Les Blues. With a rematch on the cards this weekend, can Ireland rewrite the narrative this year?
Ireland Six Nations Squad
Ireland have named a 37-man squad ahead of the Six Nations, with one debutant in the mix for this tournament.
The big talking point was the omission of Joey Carbery, with Ross Byrne and Jack Crowley getting the nod ahead of the veteran. Senior players Tadgh Furlong and Jonny Sexton are both in the squad, despite ongoing injury concerns as well.
Full Squad List
Forwards
Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan and Josh van der Flier.
Backs
Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls, Jamison Gibson Park, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Garry Ringrose, Johnny Sexton and Jacob Stockdale.
Injury Updates
As with many sides this Six Nations, Ireland are having to navigate several injury concerns. Prior to their match against Wales in Round One, Jamison Gibson-Park, Cian Healy and Tadgh Furlong all withdrew due to injury, causing a late rejig of the team. All three also missed out on the clash against France last weekend, while Jonny Sexton was fit and available.
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