Ireland vs France
World number one and defending champions France travel to the Aviva Stadium to take on the number two ranked Ireland in what many are billing the tournament decider. This is only the second round of matches but it’s hard to argue with that assumption. The Irish looked irrepressible in the last round when they tore apart Wales while the French were lucky to come away with a hard fought victory over the Italians. There are a host of head to head match ups but the battle between the captains will be key to which team wins.
TIP: The home team relies heavily on their talismatic leader Johnny Sexton and the same goes for the French and their leader Anton Dupont. Despite these two players influence on the game, the match will be decided in the forwards. The visitors have a gigantic pack and in the past they used their powerful forwards to defeat Ireland. If the home team can gain parity in the pack, then the match will go down to the wire. The bookies have Ireland as favourites and I’m also tipping them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.47, Gbets 1.45 and Hollywoodbets 1.45
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Ireland vs France
- France have won the last three matches against Ireland.
- Ireland have only lost once in their last six home matches against France.
Latest results for both teams
Ireland beat Wales 34-10 in their last match while France beat Italy 29-24 in their last match.
PREDICTION
The Irish have lost their hooker Dan Sheehan who was ruled out with injury and this will be a big loss for them as he is in brilliant form. The French will no doubt put the home teams lineout under pressure as the Irish launch most of their attacks from the set piece. Both teams have excellent and dangerous backlines who thrive on counter attacking. The kicks from both sides will need to be accurate otherwise the likes of James Lowe and Damian Penaud will run circles around the oppositions. I am backing Ireland to win this match by 10 points due to the partisan home crowd.
Probable Starting XVs
Ireland
15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jonathan Sexton (captain), 9 Jamison Gibson Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Porter.
France
15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Ethan Dumortier, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille.
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Ireland victory are as follows:
Betway 1.47
Gbets 1.45
Hollywoodbets 1.45
Odds comparison on the Ireland handicap:
The complete odds on the Ireland handicap:
Betway 1.89 (-4.5)
Gbets 1.91 (-4.5)
Hollywoodbets1.90 (-4.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There are poor returns on the Ireland outright win therefore we suggest the home team on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.89 (-4.5),Gbets 1.91 (-4.5) and Hollywoodbets1.90 (-4.5)
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
