France secured a first Six Nations title since 2010 last year and begin the defence of that crown by visiting Italy in Rome. The Azzurri have picked up the wooden spoon for seven straight renewals, although they did finish off with a shock win in Wales last time.
Scotland have claimed the Calcutta Cup after four of the last five meetings with England and should be competitive again at Twickenham. The hosts head into this Six Nations match with a rookie international coach and have been rocked by a few injury problems.
Ireland were backed for outright glory in our early Six Nations predictions and can come through a tricky opening test when visiting Wales. The hosts are hoping the return of Warren Gatland can rejuvenate them but this looks a daunting task on last year’s poor form.
Ireland are fancied to justify favouritism and secure a first title triumph since 2018 in our Six Nations 2023 predictions. Andy Farrell’s side go into the championship top of the world rankings on the back of an outstanding year which brought nine wins from 11 Tests.
With a host of World Championships and major events on the horizon, we’ve picked out 10 sporting stars to look out for in 2023. These hot prospects are best placed to take their respective sports by storm and could provide punters with some good betting opportunities.
We’re posting our sports quiz of the year for 2022 to test your knowledge of what happened in some of the key events over the past 12 months. There were tears of joy at thrilling victories – and also a few shed over the near miss of what might have been.
Australia are red-hot favourites to complete a hat-trick of Rugby League World Cup triumphs but may not have it all their own way against Samoa. The underdogs have improved throughout this tournament and top NRL players in key positions can help them to avoid a drubbing.
Penrith are strongly fancied to make it back-to-back NRL Grand Final wins by brushing aside Parramatta at Accor Stadium. The Eels won both regular-season meetings this term, but the Panthers still topped the table and are rated the superior team in almost all key departments.
St Helens are tipped to complete a record-breaking double by beating Leeds in Saturday’s Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. If victorious, Saints will become the first team to win four straight deciders and edge 9-8 ahead of the Rhinos in terms of overall triumphs.
Wigan are viewed as worthy favourites to win the Challenge Cup on their pedigree of competing in major finals but there is little between them and Huddersfield on current form. Just one point separates the teams in the Super League table and each has claimed a head-to-head win.
Leinster have looked in formidable form during the European Rugby Champions Cup knockout rounds and are fancied to see off La Rochelle in the final. The French outfit will be buoyed by playing at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille but that should only help to reduce the winning margin.
South Africa are in a strong position ahead of Saturday’s series decider against the Lions after last week’s dominant display. The Springboks bounced back from an opening 22-17 defeat to run away with the second Test, outplaying the tourists in a 27-9 triumph.
The British and Irish Lions are expected to get back to winning ways in their final warm-up game before their Test series with South Africa begins next weekend. Warren Gatland’s men fell to the first defeat of their tour on Wednesday as South Africa ‘A’ landed a psychological blow by registering a 17-13 victory at Cape Town Stadium.
The British and Irish Lions face their toughest test of the tour so far when they collide with South Africa A on Wednesday. The hosts have named a strong team and elevated the Cape Town clash into an unofficial fourth Test.