The RBS Six Nations Rugby 2009 kicks off today with England taking on Italy at Twickenham at 3pm and Ireland entertaining France at Croke Park at 5pm. Tomorrow also sees the Welsh travel to Murrayfield to take on Scotland. Below, I’ll provide some brief match previews, tips and a couple of bet pointers for this weekend’s RBS Six Nations 2009 Rugby.

England v Italy 3pm 7th Feb 2009 – Twickenham

While Italy are no longer the Six Nations whipping boys, they should find England a little too strong today. Having said that, the points tally will be significantly less than it was in the early years after Italy joined the Six Nations (well, the 5 Nations, Italy were the 6th!) – most notably when England smashed the Italians by 63 points (winning 83-20 in the 2001 fixture at Twickenham).

Match Prediction: England win by the odd try – 5-8 points advantage.

Match Odds:

• England Win – 1/7 with Boylesports and 888Sport
• Italy Win – 13/2 with SportingBet
• Advised – Handicap Betting – BACK Italy +16

Ireland v France 7th Feb 2009 – Croke Park, Dublin

This could well be the game of the weekend and sees the Irish, who’ve had their best Six Nations team of a generation for the past couple of years, with possibly their last chance to win the tournament with the current squad, who are ageing. The French are always dangerous with ball in hand, and they have a strong pack too. Expect a tight game, which may just swing for the French. Any handicaps which see Ireland winning with added points are worth taking too.

Scotland v Wales – 3pm 8th Feb 2009 – Murrayfield

Scotland have it all to do against a Welsh side who proved their past couple of years weren’t a flash in the pan by being the only home nation to offer any sort of opposition to the touring Southern Hemisphere sides this winter, in beating the Aussies in that incredible match at Cardiff Millennium Stadium. They will have enough to take the Scots by around 10 points on current form, providing they can get some good early scores in Scottish territory.

The Scottish defence will have to be resolute, as the Welsh have a pacey backline, allied to a forward pack who can keep recycling.

Advised: Back Wales to win @ 8/15 with Paddy Power

General Advice:

Small stakes treble for the weekend: England, France, Wales – all to win. The best odds for this treble is with Boylesport.