Paddy Power: Ireland special

Paddy Power New Account Exclusive – Ireland v Wales – Get Wales to win at 5/1!

The two teams came through the opening weekend with victories, putting them in good stead for some tough challenges ahead.

Despite their shared Celtic heritage and similar rugby philosophies, it’s a match that has developed a bit of an edge in recent years, leading to some hard fought and highly entertaining matches. There’s little to choose between the two sides and Paddy Power, official betting partner of the Wales Rugby Union, make Wales the slight outsiders to claim the win. Warren Gatland’s men are 11/10 to win in Dublin and 10/11 to win with a handicap of +2 points.

While home advantage can often be crucial in tight RBS 6 Nations showdowns, recent history tells us it’s not always the biggest of helps in this particular match-up. The last two RBS 6 Nations meetings between Ireland and Wales went the way of the visitors and in total, five of the last seven Championship matches have been won by the away team. That’s good news for Gatland’s side, who have also won on two of their last three trips to Dublin.

When looking at the current form alongside the history between the two nations, it’s easy to see why a close game is expected. In four of the last seven RBS 6 Nations meetings between the teams, there’s been a converted try or less separating the sides at the final whistle. In fact, in six of the seven, there has been 10 points or less between the teams at full time. If Wales do win, it’s unlikely to be by a big margin. Wales to win by one to five points is a 4/1 chance while they’re 2/1 to win by between one and 10 points. 

Warren Gatland has decided this game has come too soon for the returning Jonathan Davies which denies Wales the services of a player who has scored three tries in four games against the Irish but there’s still no shortage of players who have touched down against the boys in green. Mike Phillips has a couple of tries against Ireland to his name and he’s 18/1 to score the first try on Saturday. 

The Wales back three have all scored tries against Ireland. Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert managed it during the stirring Wales comeback that fell narrowly short in last season’s fixture at the Millennium Stadium and George North scored a try in his first RBS 6 Nations match against them in the 2012 Championship. 

At odds of 7/1 and 8/1 respectively, Cuthbert and North are obvious candidates in the First Tryscorer market, while odds of 9/2 for Halfpenny to score a try at any time in the match don’t look out of the question either. 

Paddy Power New Account Exclusive – Ireland v Wales – Get Wales to win at 5/1!