Six Nations Betting
The Six Nations is the Northern Hemisphere’s championship — England, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy — and although there’s no South African side in it, it’s one of the most heavily bet rugby tournaments in SA. The reason is simple: five rounds of high-quality, high-intensity Tests over five weekends, with a clutch of distinct markets layered on top. This is how to bet it — the outright, the Grand Slam, the handicap, and where the value actually sits.
The format is a round-robin: each nation plays the other five once, and the team with the most points tops the table to win the championship. Around that title sit the markets that make the Six Nations such a rich betting tournament.
The Six Nations markets explained
There’s more than one trophy in play, and the prices differ sharply:
| Market | What you’re betting | The read |
|---|---|---|
| Championship outright | Top of the table over five rounds | Usually two or three favourites — short prices |
| Grand Slam | One team to win all five matches | Longer odds than the outright — a harder result |
| Triple Crown | The home-nation side beating the other three | A side-market on England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales |
| Match handicap | Favourite to cover a margin in a single game | The core value market round by round |
| Total points | Over/under the combined score | Weather, derbies and forecast arm-wrestles |
The Grand Slam is the distinction casuals miss: a team can win the championship without winning every game, so the Grand Slam price is always bigger than the title price for the same side. If you genuinely fancy a side to go unbeaten, the Slam is the better-value version of the same opinion.
Where the Six Nations value hides
The outright concentrates on two or three favourites, which keeps their prices short and the value thin. The match handicap round by round is where the thinking pays. A worked example: France are -8.5 at home against Scotland and you back them to win comfortably. R100 on the handicap at 1.90 returns R190 if they win by nine or more — far better than the cramped win-only price on a strong home favourite.
The other quiet edge is home advantage, which is unusually strong in this tournament. A trip to Paris, Dublin or Twickenham is a real handicap for the visiting side, and the line doesn’t always fully price the cauldron. Back home favourites on the handicap and fade tired away sides late in the championship.
The Grand Slam and Triple Crown angles
If you think a side has the draw and the form to go five from five, the Grand Slam is the romantic, bigger-paying play — but it only takes one off-day in one hostile away ground to bust it, so stake it as the longshot it is. The Triple Crown is a tidier bet: a home-nation side (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales) beating the other three. It ignores the France and Italy fixtures entirely, so it’s a cleaner read on a three-game run than the full Slam.
How the Six Nations tends to play out
The durable truths: the title usually goes to one of a small group of favourites, so the outright is rarely generous; home advantage is a genuine, weightable edge in every round; and the championship is often decided on points difference, which keeps the handicap and total-points markets live right to the final weekend. None of that predicts a result — it’s a read on probabilities, and a prediction is never a tip. Anyone selling guaranteed Six Nations tips is selling noise.
Will your Six Nations bet actually pay out?
Match markets are fixed odds and settle on the final whistle — your stake is locked at the price you took. Handicap bets settle on the official margin, with a push returning your stake. The championship, Grand Slam and Triple Crown markets pay once they resolve, which can take the full five rounds, so size those accordingly. Winnings land in your Scorebet wallet, with withdrawals on local rails — Instant EFT, cards, e-wallets — processed quickly once you’re FICA-verified. You’ll find every Six Nations market live at Scorebet.
Bet the Six Nations the smart way
Use the right market for the right opinion — the Grand Slam if you fancy a clean sweep, the Triple Crown for a tidier three-game read, the handicap round by round for the steady value. Weight home advantage heavily, keep the longshot Slam stakes small, and read the Champions Cup for the club form behind these players, plus the British and Irish Lions page for where these nations combine. Lines move through the week, so take every live Six Nations market at Scorebet.
Frequently asked
Which teams play in the Six Nations?
Six — England, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy. There's no South African side, but the tournament is heavily bet in SA. Each team plays the other five once across five rounds, with the side topping the table taking the championship.
What is a Grand Slam in Six Nations betting?
A Grand Slam is winning all five matches in a single championship. It's a separate, longer-odds market to the outright title, because a team can top the table without winning every game. The Grand Slam price is always bigger than the championship price for the same side.
What is the best Six Nations market for value?
The handicap on individual matches usually offers more value than the outright, because the title market concentrates on two or three favourites. The Triple Crown and Grand Slam markets reward a strong read on whether a fancied side can go unbeaten.
How does the bonus-point system affect the title and points-difference markets?
The Six Nations awards bonus points for scoring four-plus tries and for losing by seven or fewer, plus a three-point bonus for completing a Grand Slam. That means a side can finish level on wins but win the title on bonus points, which keeps the championship market live even when the win-loss picture looks settled. It also rewards backing a heavy favourite to win big on the handicap, since they're chasing the try bonus, not just the result.
Why is the final-round fixture order worth checking before you bet the title?
On Super Saturday the games are staggered so the side top of the table usually plays last, knowing exactly what margin they need — a real advantage the earlier kick-offs don't get. If two contenders are separated by points difference, the team playing later can chase a precise target, which feeds straight into the handicap and total-points markets on that final game. Always check who plays when before committing to a title or points-difference bet.