So France have beaten Ireland, the six nations favourites, and the whole tournament is wide open.

It was a tight match with some superb rugby and a thrilling finish. Everybody had Ireland to win this game , based on their form in the autumn. Let’s face it, you just can’t write off the French - ever! Their try in the dying minutes gave them victory when Ireland were in the process of trying to run the game time down. Some defencive slips at this stage allowed the french no. 14 (Vincent Clerc) the opportunity to break through to touch down in the last minutes.

All the players were showing signs of fatigue in the last quarter as the game had been played at such a pace. The try count evenually went in France’s favour by 2-1. This sort of game demonstrates that the autumn internationals are no indication of how the six nations tournament will go. It’s a unique contest in unique conditions. Ireland looked unstoppable in the autumn, whilst England looked like they might be wooden spoon candidates even back then. But they showed against Scotland that they have the players and now have the coach. Their display against Italy wasn’t too convincing though and consistency is something they will have to build on.

So who did you bet on for this championship? There were very few pundits rating France - and now they’ve beaten the favourites. Look for all sorts of odds changes after this weekend’s results. Take a look at our Six Nations Betting page.

I don’t know if people saw Jeremy Guscott’s pre-match presentation on Saturday of Jonny Wilkinsons’ awareness during a game - it was mind-blowing! These were clips from before his many injuries.

We all know how he can kick, cover tackle and run with ball in hand but Guscott’s analysis showed how Wilkinson has tremendous vision on the field, almost as though he has 3 pairs of eyes, one in front and two either side! Honestly, to us mere mortals, you can hardly understand how the guy can see so much in terms of gaps or space that open up at critical points of a match. It is becoming difficult that betting on rugby is becoming reliant on just one guy when it comes to the England side.

Not only did the clips show how he identified the spaces but also how he then moves to clinical execution of the pass, or more usually, a cut-out pass to deliver the ball and carrier through the opposition defence line to score. It was an area that I, as a big rugby fan, have not fully appreciated in the past and that’s why I found Jerry Guscott’s demonstration absolutely fascinating.

The odds on who’s going to triumph as Grand Slam Winners in 2007 have turned around after England’s dominant performance. Check out our Six Nations Betting.

Six Nations Betting : After the 2006 autumn internationals, what do we make of the upcoming 6 nations tournament?

Ireland have been exceptional and have surely got to be favourites? They will be followed closely by Wales who have shown tremendous growth as an international power in the last 2-3 years.

Ireland demonstrated their phenomenal development and back row speed against South Africa and they now look a complete side, having a powerful and disruptive pack and real flare in the talented line up of backs. They must be favourites in the minds of rugby betting punters but in the six nations, it’s never easy to predict a result.

It’s no secret that England have been struggling to find some form even as far back as their world cup win. However, a new look side, lead by Phil Vickery may bring surpises. Why? Well, Phil Vickery seems to have that quality that you can’t quite put your finger on but when he is in the side it gives a big lift - the difference between winning and losing in top level sport! Look at the difference he made (admittedly with a couple of other changes) when he came on against South Africa in the first of the two games last autumn. England will probably be the side that most people are interested in seeing perform.

Scotland again have made great progress over previous years but seemed to be stumbling again in the autumn and consistancy seems to be a problem for them. Their development was  increasing exponentially but that now seems to have tailed off. But, we all know that Scottish guts can take them a long way.

Italy continue their progress and improvement as a serious international contender but they seem to lack innovation. They must have some of the most powerful, naturally stong players in the world but without technique, this is nullified.

For Free Bets bookmakers offering odds for the six nations, visit our Six Nations 2007 Page 

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